Lying
in the lower reaches of the Huanghe River(Yellow River), Shandong
borders on Hebei, Henan,
Anhui and Jiangsu
Provinces. Area: over 156000 kin Shandong is dominated by plains
and hilly lands. Its central part is higher than the surrounding
areas, and about 20 percent of its land is occupied by mountainous
and hilly areas. Mt.Taishan, Mt.Mengshan, Mt.Laoshan, Mt.Lushan,
Mt.Yishan and Mt.Culai are the main mountains of the province,
among them, Mt.Taishan is the highest.
The
Province has a temperate monsoon climate. The annual mean temperature
is 11-14°C, and the annual precipitation is 550-950 mm.
Shandong
is one of the birthplaces of the ancient Chinese civilization
and has a recorded history of 4000 years.
It
possesses famous sceneries with hills and waters,and numerous
historic sites. Mt.Taishan, Mt.Laoshan in Qingdao,and the seasides
in the eastern coastal area,are all national major famous scenic
areas, in which, Mt.Taishan has been listed in the World Natural
and Cultural Heritages by UNESCO in 1987. Other scenic spots include
Confucian Temple, Confucius Residence and Confucian Woods in Qufu
and Penlai Pavilion in Penglai City, etc.
The
main local products include clocks and watches in Yantai, Pottery
and porceliain in Zibo, Kites in Weifang, etc. Besides, Laiyang
pear, Yantai apple, Leling date and Jimo grape are all famous
in China, and Qingdao beer, however, is world-famous.
