What is Shandong popular for?

One mountain: Mount Tai is one of the famous Five Great Mountains in China. It is a world natural and cultural heritage site, a world geological park, a national key scenic spot, and a national civilized scenic tourist area. Since ancient times, Mount Tai has been regarded as a paradise “directly leading to the imperial throne” and has become a sacred mountain worshipped by the people and offered sacrifices by emperors. There is a saying that “when Mount Tai is stable, all the seas are at peace.” The main peak of Mount Tai in the east is 1545 meters above sea level. The mountain is majestic, with the momentum of “rising straight from the ground to the sky” and the posture of “holding up the sun with its might.” At the same time, there are also the infiltration and rendering of thousands of years of spiritual culture and the contrast of human landscapes. It is known as an open-air museum of history and art.（How long does it take to climb Taishan mountain?）

One water: Jinan’s No. 1 Spring Scenic Area in the world is a national key park, a national advanced unit in spiritual civilization construction, and a national-level scenic spot. The total area of the scenic area is 3.1 square kilometers. It is composed of “one river (city moat), one lake (Daming Lake), three springs (Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, and Wulongtan Spring groups), and four parks (Baotu Spring Park, Huancheng Park, Wulongtan Park, and Daming Lake Scenic Area)”. The famous springs in the scenic area have outstanding and universal ornamental value, as well as the advantages of uniqueness, rarity, and endangerment. It is a tourist scenic area that combines unique natural landscape and profound historical and cultural connotations.（Jinan Tourism Guide）

One sage: The Qufu Minggu City Three Confucius Sites tourist area is a world cultural heritage site and a national scenic spot. It is one of the three major ancient architectural complexes in China relying on the Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion, and Confucius Forest in Qufu for tourism. The “Confucius Temple” is a temple for sacrificing to Confucius. It is an ancient architectural complex in China whose existing scale is second only to the Forbidden City and can be regarded as a model of large-scale ancient temple architecture in China. The Confucius Mansion is the residence of Confucius’ direct descendants. The “Confucius Forest” is the cemetery of Confucius and his descendants. It is a large-scale and well-preserved clan burial group and artificial garden in China. The Three Confucius Sites attract scholars and literati from all over the world to make pilgrimages and visit with its rich cultural accumulation, long history, abundant collection of cultural relics, and scientific and artistic value.（World Heritage Site: The “Three Confucian Sites” in Qufu）

Shandong cuisine is an important part of Chinese food culture and one of the eight major cuisines in China. It is renowned at home and abroad for its fresh, salty, crisp, and tender taste, unique flavor, and fine production. There are great geographical differences within the province, so three major systems have formed: Jiaodong cuisine along the coast, Jinan cuisine in inland areas such as Jinan, Dezhou, and Tai’an, and Confucius Mansion cuisine with its own system evolved from the Confucius family. After the Song Dynasty, it became one of the representatives of “northern cuisine.” From Qilu to the capital area, from inside the pass to outside the pass, its influence has reached the Yellow River Basin and Northeast China, and it has a broad food-loving population base. Shandong cuisine is one of the local flavor cuisines with the widest coverage in China, spreading throughout Beijing, Tianjin, and Tangshan and Northeast China.

Shandong cuisine can be further divided into Jiaodong cuisine represented by Qingdao cuisine, Jinan cuisine represented by Jinan, Dezhou, Tai’an, etc., and Confucius Mansion cuisine evolved from the Confucius family. Confucius Mansion First-Rate Pot is a classic famous dish in Confucius Mansion cuisine. It is said that emperors of the Qing Dynasty often went to the Confucius Mansion. The Confucius Mansion would entertain them with the highest courtesy. A necessary dish on the dining table was Confucius Mansion First-Rate Pot. In the Qing Dynasty, a grade system for officials was implemented. Official ranks ranged from first grade to ninth grade, with first grade being the highest. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty listed the Confucius Mansion as a first-grade official mansion and named this soup dish made of various precious ingredients such as sea cucumbers, shark fins, fish maws, and hens that appeared on the dining table “First-Rate Pot of the Current Dynasty.” Passed down from generation to generation, we have the “Confucius Mansion First-Rate Pot” that we eat today.

Chunhe Tower is a restaurant mainly featuring Shandong cuisine. It is also the oldest time-honored brand in Qingdao, Shandong. It first opened for business in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. It has a history of more than 100 years. Crispy Chicken is a major classic in Shandong cuisine. It mainly uses bamboo chicken as the raw material. First, it is steamed with high-quality soup and then deep-fried. It tastes delicious with tender meat. Crispy Chicken is also a main dish of Chunhe Tower restaurant. Therefore, it has the name “Chunhe Tower Crispy Chicken.”