Southern Shandong

Linyi, Zaozhuang, Jining and Heze: the homeland of Confucius and Mencius, the canal town of Taierzhuang and the landscapes of Yimeng form a land of Confucian tradition.

This region corresponds to the Southern Shandong Economic Circle in Shandong's "one group, two centers, three circles" framework, and includes four cities: Linyi, Zaozhuang, Jining and Heze. Under this definition, Qufu belongs to Jining and so falls within Southern Shandong, in a different region from Mount Tai, which belongs to the Provincial Capital Economic Circle; the two are not far apart, however, and are often combined in one trip. Jining is the core of Confucian culture. In Qufu, the Temple of Confucius, the Kong Family Mansion and the Confucius Forest are together known as the "Three Confucian Sites" and are a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site; the Nishan Sacred Land is built around Confucius's birthplace, and Zoucheng has the Mencius Temple, Mencius Mansion and Mencius Forest; within Jining you will also find Weishan Lake and Liangshan. The ancient city of Taierzhuang in Zaozhuang lies on the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal and was the site of the Battle of Taierzhuang; rebuilt after the war, it is crisscrossed by waterways and has distinctive night views. Linyi is the Yimeng revolutionary base area; the Mengshan Guimeng scenic area has high forest cover, and the Yishui Underground Grand Canyon, Zhuquan Village in Yinan and the hometown of the "Red Sister-in-law" are among its clustered revolutionary-culture sites. Heze is known as the "Peony Capital"; Caozhou Peony Garden is a prime spring flower-viewing spot, and the city is also a home of martial arts and local opera. Classic route: two days in Qufu and Nishan, one day in Taierzhuang, one to two days in the Yimeng Mountains, for four to five days in total; you can also continue south from Mount Tai. For transport, the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway has stations at Qufu East, Zaozhuang and elsewhere, the Southern Shandong high-speed railway links Linyi, Qufu, Jining and Heze east to west, and Linyi Qiyang Airport and Jining Da'an Airport have domestic flights. Visiting ancient buildings such as the Temple of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion involves a lot of walking, and buying tickets in advance is recommended on holidays; Taierzhuang is best seen at night, so consider staying one night.

Destinations

Itineraries