Short Introduction to Shandong Local Culture

Shandong Province, abbreviated as "Lu", is located on China's eastern coast, at the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Shandong Peninsula extends into the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, while the inland area borders Hebei, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu from north to south.

Shandong is the birthplace of Confucianism and one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Renowned as the "Hometown of Confucius and Mencius, Land of Etiquette", it is celebrated worldwide for its Qi-Lu culture. Rich in cultural resources, Shandong has produced countless sages, scholars, and cultural figures, with a wealth of enduring classics.

Brief History

Before the Shang Dynasty was founded, western Shandong served as the activity center of the Shang tribe. After the Shang replaced the Xia, it implemented the "feudal enfeoffment" system, with Qi and Lu being the two largest fiefdoms in Shandong. Confucius, born in Qufu, the capital of Lu, founded Confucianism here, which later became the cornerstone of China's social framework and values.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, Shandong became an economic hub of China. During Emperor Wu's reign in the Han Dynasty, the policy of abolishing all other schools of thought and honoring Confucianism alone further promoted Confucian culture in Shandong. After the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, frequent wars damaged the economy.

At the start of the Sui Dynasty, granaries were built across Shandong's prefectures and counties. In the Tang and Song dynasties, Shandong continued to prosper, producing many outstanding figures in literature, art, and other cultural fields.

In the Northern Song period, with corrupt emperors and treacherous officials in power, Song Jiang and others rose in rebellion at Liangshan Marsh for the people's welfare. This story was later immortalized by Shi Nai'an in Water Margin, one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. During the Jin and Yuan dynasties, heavy exploitation and foreign invasions left society and the economy stagnant.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Shandong Executive Secretariat was established, marking the birth of this province. After Emperor Yongle moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, Jining and Linqing along the Grand Canal flourished thanks to grain transport.

In the Qing Dynasty, Shandong Province was formally set up. After the Opium War, Yantai became Shandong's first open port. In 1888, the Beiyang Fleet was formally established on Liugong Island, Weihai, but was wiped out seven years later in the First Sino-Japanese War. In the late Qing, facing threats from Russia and Japan, the Northeast was opened to Han migration, and over 10 million Shandong farmers moved there over the next century to make a living.

At the Paris Peace Conference, the Beiyang government's failure to recover Shandong's sovereignty triggered the May Fourth Movement. Years later, Qingdao and Weihai were finally reclaimed. During the War of Resistance against Japan, the Nationalist Army achieved the great victory at Tai'erzhuang in Shandong. In the Chinese Civil War, Chen Yi defeated the Nationalists' elite forces here and liberated Shandong two years later.

Qi-Lu Culture

The name Qilu originated from the states of Qi and Lu in the pre-Qin period. By the late Warring States era, with the basic completion of ethnic integration and cultural assimilation, the cultures of Qi and Lu gradually merged into one, forming a unified cultural sphere. From this cultural sphere emerged the regional concept of "Qilu", which roughly corresponds to the present-day territory of Shandong, and thus became a synonym for this province.

Qilu culture refers to the regional culture that developed from the cultural roots of the pre-Qin Qi and Lu states. During the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Lu gave birth to Confucianism, represented by Confucius, while the coastal State of Qi produced Taoist thought represented by Jiang Ziya, which also absorbed and developed the local indigenous Dongyi culture. Over time, these two traditions gradually integrated, forming the Qilu culture rich in historical depth.

In the early Western Zhou period, Jiang Ziya was enfeoffed in Qi to govern the DongYi, while the Duke of Zhou was granted the State of Lu to safeguard the Zhou royal house. This division marked the transformation of Dongyi culture into Qi culture, while Zhou culture was preserved in its entirety in Lu.

Upon arriving in his fief, Jiang Ziya implemented an enlightened cultural policy, following to local customs and simplifying ritual norms, thus facilitating the transition from Dongyi to Qi culture. In contrast, Boqin, son of the Duke of Zhou, upon arriving in Lu, reformed local customs, replaced old rites, and promoted Zhou culture. These divergent approaches led Qi and Lu along different cultural and economic paths: Qi developed a commercial spirit, valued utility over moral principle, embraced openness, and focused on practical affairs; Lu retained the conservative traits of an agricultural society, upheld Zhou ritual traditions, and made no attempt to make change.

During the Warring States period, the fusion of Qi and Lu cultures began in earnest, catalyzed by the interaction between the Jixia Academy school and Mencius's extended residence in Qi during his two periods of study and teaching there. The merging of Qi and Lu traditions ultimately formed the shared cultural heritage known as Qi-Lu culture, which continues to shape the identity of the people of Shandong.

Confucius Culture

Confucius, the revered sage, was a great thinker, educator, and statesman of China. Over 2,500 years ago, Confucius was born in Qufu, a city in the southwest of Shandong. He founded Confucianism, which became a cornerstone of traditional Chinese culture and continues to exert significant influence worldwide. He is also hailed as the foremost among the world's top 10 thinkers.

At the heart of Confucius' philosophy is Ren (benevolence), advocating "to subdue one's selfish desires and return to propriety is perfect virtue" and that the benevolent "love others". He defined ren through virtues such as courtesy, tolerance, honesty, diligence, and kindness, and upheld "pursuing righteousness over profit". In his view of Heaven, while acknowledging the awe of destiny, he valued human agency and emphasized human action. In epistemology, he introduced concepts such as knowledge, practice, learning, and reflection, opening new realms of thought.

Throughout his life, Confucius strove to promote his political propositions, engaged in education, and worked on compiling ancient texts. After his death, his disciples compiled his teachings into The Analects. Confucian thought has endured for over 2,000 years in history, becoming a treasured spiritual legacy of the Chinese people.

Religious Belief

The dominant religion in Shandong is Taoism, with major Taoist attractions including Mount Tai, Mount Lao, Penglai Pavilion, and Mount Kunlun. In central and western Shandong, Lingyan Temple, renowned during the flourishing period of Buddhism, was once ranked first among the four great Buddhist monastic complexes of the Ming Dynasty. A large number of stone Buddha statues unearthed from Qingzhou Longxing Temple Relic Site were recognized as one of China's Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 1996. For Catholic and Protestant believers, historical churches and former mission school sites can be visited in cities such as Qingdao and Yantai.

Special Festivals

In Jinan, on the evening of the thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month, Buddhist temples hold the Ullambana Festival, conducting rituals and chanting sutras. According to tradition, this date marks the day on which Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva attained enlightenment. At the time of his enlightenment, he vowed to deliver all sentient beings burdened by sin from the sea of suffering. Thus, the thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month became a day for redeeming the souls of the departed through the ritual of setting afloat river lanterns.

Qufu International Confucius Culture Festival is a large-scale international festival held annually in late September in the hometown of Confucius, to commemorate his outstanding contribution to human civilization. The festival has a variety of ceremonies and performances of ancient-style Confucian ritual music and dance, allowing visitors to appreciate the arts while gaining a deeper understanding of the essence of Confucian culture.

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, people climb Thousand Buddha Mountain in Jinan to enjoy chrysanthemums from the vantage point of the Chrysanthemum Viewing Cliff. Since the Yuan Dynasty, this date has also been the fixed time for the Thousand Buddha Mountain Temple Fair. The fair coincides with the harvest season for large persimmons, and visitors often return home with them, earning the fair the nickname "Persimmon Fair".

The Fishing Lantern Festival is a traditional folk celebration unique to coastal fishermen in Yantai and Penglai, held annually on the thirteenth or fourteenth day of the first lunar month. Centered on rituals to honor the sea and pray for blessings, villagers gather at fishing ports, light fishing lanterns, perform fishermen's yangge dances, and beat festive drums, creating a lively and jubilant atmosphere.

Diet Style

Lu cuisine, or Shandong cuisine ranked first among China's Eight Great Cuisines, is the representative of northern Chinese cuisine and the foundation of Chinese home-style cooking. It can be said that without Lu cuisine, the diverse and flavorful culinary traditions seen in China today would not have emerged.

Lu cuisine values exquisite presentation, highlighting the natural freshness of ingredients while skillfully pairing them with seasonings. Its refinement extends beyond appearance and taste—knife skills, ingredient selection, cooking techniques, and final flavor are all remarkable.

Without understanding Shandong's food culture, one cannot truly grasp the variety of Lu cuisine. Taking Jinan cuisine for example, each dish has a distinct flavor, with "one flavor for one dish, no repetition across all dishes". In the Jiaodong coastal area, even a single species like flounder can be prepared in more than a dozen ways. The sheer number of plates and bowls in a banquet is dazzling, letting alone the spectrum of flavors they contain.

Shandong's relatively favorable living environment has spared its people from a constant struggle against nature. Its crisscrossing mountains and rivers, fertile plains, and abundant farmlands provide rich food resources: sea foods and mountain delicacies, fresh fruits and vegetables, refined and coarse grains, livestock and wild games, as well as a wide variety of high-quality plant-based and fermented seasonings.

No other cuisine is more adept at utilizing seasonings than Lu cuisine. Shandong scallions, a Shandong specialty, are widely used to enhance flavor. Whether it's chicken and lamb from southwestern Shandong or seafood from the Jiaodong region, ingredients often carry fishy or gamey notes, which the use of seasonings can remove, leaving dishes rich and aromatic. Jiaodong seafood emphasizes natural flavors, with shrimp, crab, shellfish, and clams often served with ginger and vinegar. Premium ingredients like bird's nest, shark fin, sea cucumber, and dried abalone are always paired with superior stock to bring out their best taste.

Moreover, Shandong's love for wheat-based foods runs deep and long, steming from its unique geographical advantages. Situated in the fertile North China Plain, with a favorable climate and soil, Shandong is ideal for wheat cultivation. As one of China's major granaries, it has supplied grain to regions across the country. Mantou, noodles, and flatbreads, whether soft and fluffy or chewy and crisp, naturally became dining staples, inspiring an endless variety of wheat-based creations.

Cultural Heritage

Magnificent Shandong, known as the Land of Etiquette, the sacred land of Qi and Lu, the birthplace of Shandong cuisine, and the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, boasts a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is home to numerous cultural relics, including the world-famous Mount Tai, the long-standing Confucius hometown, and countless picturesque landscapes.

As a core part of China's Grand Canal World Heritage application, the Shandong section, represented by the "Heart of the Canal", the Nanwang Complex, showcases the pinnacle of ancient hydraulic engineering. The "ancestor of the Great Wall of China", built over 400 years before the Qin Great Wall, perfectly integrates its stone walls with the mountain terrain, reflecting ancient architectural wisdom of "adapting to local conditions". The Dawenkou Site, dating back about 6,000 years, with its long continuity and wide distribution, stands as a key representative of prehistoric civilization in the lower Yellow River region.