Shandong Travel Guide
In China’s northeast, Shangdong Province receives plenty of tourists but still clings to authenticity. This is a fascinating province of iconic landmarks, historic cities and a storied landscape.
One of Shandong’s most celebrated contributions to Chinese society is Confucianism. The sage and teacher Confucius was born in the city of Qufu, where he lived and taught more than 2,000 years ago. Today there are estates, temples, forests and hundreds of other sites dedicated to Confucius. Mencius, the ‘Second Sage’ who came after Confucius, has garnered a similar following in his home city of Zoucheng.
The Shandong landscape itself is tied up in Chinese spirituality. The Penglai Pavilion along the coast is believed to be the landing point for the ‘Eight Immortals’, deities prophesied to come in the future. Just as sacred is Tai Shan, a 5,000-foot mountain that was used by the imperial family for religious rites for thousands of years.
Across the board from these ancient sites are the colonial concessions that sprang up a little over a hundred years ago. Yantai and Weihei are two port cities that were briefly used by the British, but the most striking European concession is the German city of Qingdao. Locals have done an outstanding job not only of preserving the architecture, but of blending it seamlessly with the increasingly modern skyline.
Along the way are beaches as well as backcountry, and visitors have plenty of outdoor activities to keep them busy. In fact, Shandong hosted a sailing competition for the 2008 Olympics. Even something as simple as cycling is rewarding in historic cities like Qingdao or Qufu.
Tourism is a booming industry in Shandong, with hotels widely available in tourist areas, as well as transport hubs. Refreshingly, Shandong has managed to embrace the tourism trade without forfeiting its traditional spirit that makes the traveler’s experience all the more authentic.
April to early November is the best season to experience this northeastern China province with thousands of years’ worth of historical sites, avoiding the hottest months of July and August.
The main airport in Shandong is a few miles north of Ji’nan, the provincial capital. A major railway connecting Shanghai and Beijing also passes through here, and connections take five hours and 3 hours, 30 minutes, respectively. Otherwise, it is possible to travel between South Korea and Shandong via a 15-hour ferry that crosses between Incheon and Weihai.