Shandong

{{Short description|Province in East China}} {{About|the province|the peninsula|Shandong Peninsula|other uses}} {{Redirect|Shantung|the fabric|Shantung (fabric)|other uses)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Shandong | native_name = {{lang|zh-Hans|山东}} | settlement_type = Province | translit_lang1 = Name | translit_lang1_type = {{nobold|Chinese}} | translit_lang1_info = {{lang|zh-Hans|山东省}} {{tlit|zh|Shāndōng shěng}} | translit_lang1_type1 = {{nobold|Abbreviation}} | translit_lang1_info1 = SD{{\}}{{linktext|lang=zh-hans|鲁}} {{tlit|zh|Lǔ}} | image_skyline = {{multiple image| border = infobox| total_width = 300| image_style = border:1; |perrow = 2/2/3/1 |image1 = PenglaiPavilion.jpg |image2 = 黄河入海流 - Destination of Yellow River - 2011.11 - panoramio.jpg |image3 = 夏日微山湖.jpg |image4 = Qufu Confucian Temple 49189-Qufu (49055643376).jpg |image5 = Jade Emperor Peak 50495-Taishan (49055680461).jpg |image6 = St Michaels Cathedral West Front.png |image7=光岳楼 04.jpg |image8 = Daming Lake.jpg |caption1 =Penglai Pavilion |caption2=Yellow River delta |caption3=Weishan Lake |caption4=Temple of Confucius |caption5=Mount Tai |caption6 =St. Michael's Cathedral in Qingdao |caption7 =Guangyue Tower |caption8 =Daming Lake }} | image_map = Shandong in China (+all claims hatched).svg | mapsize = 275px | map_caption = Location of Shandong within China | coordinates = {{coord|36.4|N|118.4|E|type:adm1st|format=dms|display=it}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = China | seat_type = Capital | seat = Jinan | seat1_type = Largest city | seat1 = Linyi | parts_type = Divisions | parts_style = para | p1 = 16 prefectures | p2 = 140 counties | p3 = 1941 townships | government_type = Province | governing_body = Shandong Provincial People's Congress | leader_title = Party Secretary | leader_name = Lin Wu<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-30 |script-title=ru:Назначены новые секретари парткомов провинций Шаньдун и Шаньси |url=https://dknews.kz/ru/shelkovyy-put/268885-naznacheny-novye-sekretari-partkomov-provinciy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230040224/https://dknews.kz/ru/shelkovyy-put/268885-naznacheny-novye-sekretari-partkomov-provinciy |archive-date=30 December 2022 |publisher=dknews.kz |language=ru}}</ref> | leader_title1 = Congress chairman | leader_name1 = Lin Wu | leader_title2 = Governor | leader_name2 = Zhou Naixiang | leader_title3 = CPPCC chairman | leader_name3 = Ge Huijun | leader_title4 = National People's Congress Representation | leader_name4 = 173 deputies | area_footnotes = <ref name="mofcom">{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=Doing Business in China |url=http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zt_business/lanmub/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016034801/http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zt_business/lanmub/ |archive-date=2015-10-16 |access-date=2013-08-05 |publisher=Ministry Of Commerce}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 157100 | area_rank = 20th | elevation_max_m = 1545 | elevation_max_point = Mount Tai | population_footnotes = <ref name=2020census>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-11 |title=Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 3) |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817188.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511104847/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817188.html |archive-date=11 May 2021 |access-date=2021-05-11 |publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China}}</ref> | population_total = 101,630,000 | population_as_of = 2022 | population_rank = 2nd | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_rank = 5th | demographics_type1 = Demographics | demographics1_title1 = Ethnic composition | demographics1_info1 = {{ubl|Han{{snd}}99.3%|Hui{{snd}}0.6%}} | demographics1_title2 = Languages and dialects | demographics1_info2 = Jiaoliao Mandarin, Jilu Mandarin, Zhongyuan Mandarin

| demographics_type2 = GDP {{normal|(2025)}}<ref name="GDPdata">{{cite web|url=https://data.stats.gov.cn/english/easyquery.htm?cn=E0103|title=National Data|publisher=China NBS|date=March 2024|access-date=22 June 2024}} see also {{cite web|url=http://www.shandong.gov.cn/art/2024/3/3/art_305196_10347730.html |title=zh: 2023年山东省国民经济和社会发展统计公报|publisher=shandong.gov.cn|date=3 March 2024|access-date=19 June 2024}} The average exchange rate of 2024 was CNY 7.1217 to 1 USD dollar {{cite press release | url=https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202402/t20240228_1947918.html| title=Statistical communiqué of the People's Republic of China on the 2023 national economic and social development| publisher=China NBS|date=29 February 2024|access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref> | demographics2_title1 = Total | demographics2_info1 = {{CNY|10.31 trillion (3rd)}} (US$1.48 trillion) | demographics2_title2 = Per capita | demographics2_info2 = {{CNY|101,446 (11th)}} (US$14,563) | iso_code = CN-SD | blank4_name_sec2 = HDI (2023) | blank4_info_sec2 = 0.798<ref name="SHDI">{{cite web |title=Human Development Indices (8.0)- China |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/CHN/?levels=1+4&years=2023&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0 |access-date=23 September 2024 |website=Global Data Lab}}</ref> (14th) – {{color|#090|high}} | website = {{URL|sd.gov.cn}} | population_demonym = Shandongese }} {{Infobox Chinese | order = st | s = {{linktext|山东}} | t = 山東 | l = East of the (Taihang) Mountains | p = Shāndōng | gr = Shandong | bpmf = {{bpmfsp|ㄕㄢ|ㄉㄨㄥ}} | w = {{tonesup|Shan1-tung1}} | mi = {{IPAc-cmn|sh|an|1|.|d|ong|1}} | wuu = Se平 ton平 | j = Saan1-dung1 | ci = {{IPAc-yue|s|aan|1|.|d|ung|1}} | y = Sāan-dūng | tl = Suann-tang | poj = Soaⁿ-tang }} '''Shandong'''{{refn|group=note|{{IPAc-en|UK|ʃ|æ|n|ˈ|d|ʊ|ŋ}} {{respell|shan|DUUNG}},<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Shandong |encyclopedia=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Shandong |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518053237/https://www.lexico.com/definition/Shandong |archive-date=18 May 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ʃ|ɑː|n|ˈ|d|ɔː|ŋ}} {{respell|shahn|DAWNG}};<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Shandong}}</ref> {{lang-zh|s=山东|t=山東}}; alternately romanized as '''Shantung'''}} is a coastal province in East China<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tian Xia |url={{Google books|tFRgajxu3wIC|page=70|plainurl=yes}} |title=Atlas of World Heritage—China |last2=Bai Bo |date=2005 |publisher=Long River |isbn=9781592650606 |page=70}}</ref> which has played a major role in the development of the Chinese civilization and culture as it has served as a pivotal cultural and religious center for Taoism, Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism. Shandong's Mount Tai is the most revered mountain of Taoism and a site with one of the longest histories of continuous religious worship in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |title=Mount Taishan |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/437/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121005458/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/437/ |archive-date=2020-11-21 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=whc.unesco.org |language=en}}</ref> The Buddhist temples in the mountains south of the provincial capital of Jinan were once among the foremost Buddhist sites in China.<ref>{{Cite book |url={{Google books|ojt7nnVNzkEC|page=157|plainurl=yes}} |title=China |publisher=Fodor's Travel Publications |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-400-01731-7 |editor-last=Kelly |editor-first=Margaret}}</ref> The city of Qufu was the birthplace of Confucius, and later became the center of Confucianism.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Confucianism |url=https://asiasociety.org/education/confucianism |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116024724/https://asiasociety.org/education/confucianism |archive-date=2020-11-16 |access-date=2025-10-24 |work=Asia Society |language=en}}</ref>

Shandong's location at the intersection of ancient and modern north–south and east–west trading routes has helped establish it as an economic center. After a period of political instability and economic hardship beginning in the late 19th century, Shandong has experienced rapid growth in recent decades. Home to over 100 million inhabitants, Shandong is the world's sixth-most populous subnational entity, and China's second-most populous province.<ref name="censuspop">{{Cite web |date=2021-05-11 |title=Main Data of the Seventh National Population Census |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817185.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511031334/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817185.html |archive-date=2021-05-11 |publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China}}</ref> The economy of Shandong is China's third-largest provincial economy with a GDP of {{CNY|8.3 trillion}} (US$1.3 trillion) in 2021, equivalent to the GDP of Mexico.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-07 |title=Decoding China's 2021 GDP Growth Rate: A Look at Regional Numbers |url=https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-2021-gdp-performance-a-look-at-major-provinces-and-cities/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819091517/https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-2021-gdp-performance-a-look-at-major-provinces-and-cities/ |archive-date=19 August 2022 |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=China Briefing News}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=GDP of Mexico |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=MX&year_high_desc=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915034232/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=MX&year_high_desc=true |archive-date=15 September 2022 |access-date=2022-09-15 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> If considered among sovereign states, Shandong would rank as the 15th-largest economy and the 15th-most populous {{as of|2021|lc=y}}.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=GDP Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?end=2021&most_recent_value_desc=true&start=2021&year_high_desc=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915034232/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?end=2021&most_recent_value_desc=true&start=2021&year_high_desc=true |archive-date=15 September 2022 |access-date=2022-09-15 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> Its GDP per capita is slightly above the national average.

Shandong is one of China's leading provinces in education and research. It has 153 higher education institutions, ranking second in East China after Jiangsu and fourth among all Chinese first-level divisions after Jiangsu, Guangdong and Henan.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title="List of National Colleges and Universities - Government Portal of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China" |url=http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/s5743/s5744/A03/202206/t20220617_638352.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619182535/http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/s5743/s5744/A03/202206/t20220617_638352.html |archive-date=19 June 2022 |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China}}</ref> {{As of|2025}}, the Nature Index ranked two major cities in Shandong (Jinan #27 and Qingdao #31) in the global top 35 cities by scientific research output.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Leading 200 science cities {{!}} {{!}} Supplements {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/supplements/nature-index-2025-science-cities/tables/overall |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=www.nature.com}}</ref>

== Etymology == The name ''Shandong'' (山东; 山東) literally translates to "east of the mountain," from {{zhl|c=山|l=mountain}} and {{zhl|s=东|t=東|l=east}}, the name first came into being in Jin Dynasty, when Shandong East and West Circuit were created. The name refers to the province's location to the east of the Taihang Mountains.<ref>{{in lang|zh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.people.com.cn/GB/shenghuo/1090/2435218.html|title=趣味文字：中国各省及自治区名称历史由来和变化|date=2004-07-04|work=People's Daily Online|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218064933/http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shenghuo/1090/2435218.html|language=zh}}</ref> Its counterpart is Shanxi, which literally means 'west of the mountains' and locates in the western side of Taihang Mountains.

A common nickname for Shandong is Qilu ({{zhi|s=齐鲁|t=齊魯}}), from two major states Qi and Lu that existed in this region during the Spring and Autumn period. Whereas Qi was a major political power, Lu played only a minor political role but became renowned as the home of Confucius, and its cultural influence came to eclipse that of Qi. The cultural legacy of Lu is reflected in the province's official abbreviation of {{zhp|s=鲁|t=魯|p=Lǔ}}.<ref name="Roberts1">{{Cite book|last=Roberts|first=Edmund|title=Embassy to the eastern courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat; in the U.S. sloop-of-war Peacock ... during the years 1832-3-4.|publisher=Harper & Brothers|year=1837|pages=122–123|isbn=978-1-400-01731-7|lccn=05012055}}</ref>

The province's old spelling is Shantung, which can be seen in ''Shantungosuchus'', ''Shantungosaurus'' and Shantung fabric.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

== History ==

===Ancient history=== {{See also|Dawenkou culture|Longshan culture|Qi (state)|Lu (state)|Hundred Schools of Thought}} [[File:Shang Bronze Yue Axe (10127449784).jpg|thumb|''Yachou'' bronze axe (亞醜鉞) was forged by a tribe of Dongyi people, which probably called Yachou; its exquisite workmanship and valuable inscripts made it China's first-class national artifact and now preserved in China National Museum|left]] [[File:Linzi_sewer_2010_06_06.jpg|thumb|right|Remains of Ancient Linzi city sewer passing underneath the former city wall]]

With its location on the eastern edge of the North China Plain, Shandong was home to a succession of Neolithic cultures for millennia, including the Houli ({{circa|6500–5500 BC}}), Beixin ({{circa|5300–4100 BC}}), Dawenkou ({{circa|4100–2600 BC}}), Longshan ({{circa|3000–2000 BC}}), and Yueshi cultures ({{circa|1900–1500 BC}}).

The Shang and Zhou dynasties exerted varying degrees of control over western Shandong, while eastern Shandong was inhabited by Dongyi peoples, who were considered barbarians by the inhabitants of the Central Plain. Following the annexation the Dongyi state of Lai by the state of Qi in 567 BC, the Dongyi gradually became sinicized.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, power was accumulated by regional states; Shandong was home to the state of Qi based in Linzi, and the state of Lu based in Qufu. Lu is famous for being the home of Confucius; however, it was comparatively small, eventually being annexed by the neighboring state of Chu to its south. Meanwhile, Qi was a significant power throughout the entire period, and ruled cities including Jimo, Linzi, and Ju.

===Imperial history=== [[File:Four Gates Pagoda, 2020-09-11 02.jpg|thumb|Four Gates Pagoda was the only intact Sui dynasty pagoda in China]] The Qin dynasty conquered Qi and founded the first centralized Chinese state in 221 BC. The Han dynasty that followed created several commanderies supervised by two inspectorates ({{lang|zh|刺史部}}) in what is now modern Shandong: {{ill|Qingzhou Inspectorate|zh|青州刺史部}} ({{lang|zh|青州}}) in the north and {{ill|Yanzhou Inspectorate|zh|兗州刺史部}} ({{lang|zh-hant|兗州}}) in the south. During the Three Kingdoms period, Shandong was part of the northern kingdom of Cao Wei, which ruled over northern China.

After the Three Kingdoms period, a brief period of unity under the Western Jin dynasty gave way to invasions by nomadic barbarians from the north. Northern China, including Shandong, was overrun. Over the next century or so, Shandong changed hands several times, falling to the Later Zhao, then Former Yan, then Former Qin, then Later Yan, then Southern Yan, then the Liu Song dynasty, and finally the Northern Wei dynasty, the first of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. Shandong stayed with the Northern dynasties for the rest of this period.

In 412 AD, the Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian landed at Laoshan, on the southern edge of the Shandong peninsula, and proceeded to Qingzhou to edit and translate the scriptures he had brought back from Pakistan and India.

The Sui dynasty reestablished unity in 589, and the Tang dynasty (618–907) presided over the next golden age of China. For the earlier part of this period, Shandong was ruled as part of Henan Circuit, one of the circuits (a political division). Later on, China splintered into warlord factions, resulting in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Shandong was part of the Five Dynasties, all based in the north.

The Song dynasty reunified China in the late tenth century. The classic novel ''Water Margin'' was based on folk tales of outlaw bands active in Shandong during the Song dynasty. In 1996, the discovery of over two hundred buried Buddhist statues at Qingzhou was hailed as a major archaeological find. The statues included early examples of painted figures and are thought to have been buried due to Emperor Huizong's repression of Buddhism (he favored Taoism).

The Song dynasty was forced to cede northern China to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in 1142. Shandong was administered by Jin as Shandong East Circuit and Shandong West Circuit – the first use of its current name.

=== Early modern era === [[File:William Alexander - City of Lin Tsin, Shantung, with a View of the Grand Canal - B1975.4.1450 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg|thumb|Linqing City, with a view of the Grand Canal. Drawing by William Alexander, draughtsman of the Macartney Embassy to China in 1793.]]

The modern province of Shandong was created by the Ming dynasty, where it had a more expansive territory, including the eastern of Liaoning (Liaodong). In 1376, the capital of Shandong moved from Qingzhou to Jinan, and since then, Jinan served as the provincial capital for seven centuries.

After Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing in 1421, the cities of Jining and Linqing along the Grand Canal flourished due to the development of canal grain transport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Overview|url=http://www.sdgh.org.cn/lists/ghzc/zxzy/lsgk.jsp|website=Shandong Federation of Trade Unions|accessdate=2016-11-28|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305031406/http://www.sdgh.org.cn/lists/ghzc/zxzy/lsgk.jsp|archivedate=2017-03-05}}</ref> However, due to the Little Ice Age (approximately 1550–1770),<ref>{{cite book|author=E.L. Ladurie|title=''Times of Feast, Times of Famine: A History of Climate Since the Year 1000'' (Barbara Bray, tr.)|url=https://archive.org/details/timesoffeasttime0000lero|location=New York|publisher=Doubleday|year=1971}}</ref><ref>Zhu Kezhen, "Preliminary Study on the Climate Change in China over the Last Five Thousand Years," Kaogu Xuebao [Acta Archaeologica Sinica], 1972, No. 1</ref> crop yields declined and famine persisted year after year,<ref>{{cite web|author1=Bai Yan|author2=Yu Yumei|title=Is the Little Ice Age Coming? Ming and Qing Little Ice Age Cooled for More Than 300 Years |url=http://www.ce.cn/xwzx/kj/201106/27/t20110627_22504205_1.shtml|website=China Economic Net|publisher=Modern Express |accessdate=2017-02-21|date=2011-06-27|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222110542/http://www.ce.cn/xwzx/kj/201106/27/t20110627_22504205_1.shtml |archivedate=2017-02-22}}</ref> and compounded by the harsh policies of the imperial court,<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Impact of Harsh Governance in Early Ming on the Outcome of the Jingnan Campaign |journal=Journal of Nanyang Normal University|date=November 2009|volume=8|issue=11}}</ref> peasant rebellions broke out continuously.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Gu Cheng|title=History of the Late Ming Peasant Wars|chapter=Background of the Late Ming Peasant Wars|publisher=China Social Sciences Press|isbn=9787511217257|date=October 1982}}</ref>

In 1633, Ming generals Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming led their troops from Dengzhou, Shandong to Liaodong to surrender to the Manchu Qing, later joining the Qing army's entry into China proper.<ref>{{Harvnb|General History of Shandong: Ming and Qing Volume|loc=Chapter 6: The Situation in Shandong at the End of the Ming}}</ref> By 1640, peasant uprisings led by the White Lotus Society in Shandong intensified. The Ming court dispatched Zhu Datian to suppress the revolt, causing Shandong's population to decline sharply once again.<ref>{{cite book|author1=An Zuozhang|title=General History of Jinan: Ming and Qing Volume|date=2008|publisher=Qilu Publishing House|pages=64–69|isbn=978-7-5333-2034-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6WcRAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202234856/https://books.google.de/books?id=6WcRAQAAMAAJ&dq|archivedate=2016-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Gu Yingtai|title=Chronicle of the Ming Dynasty, Volume 78: The Rebellion of Li Zicheng}}</ref>

The earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 and an epicenter just northeast of Linyi devastated Dengzhou and the prefecture, and killed foreigners and locals, between 43,000 and 50,000 people are claimed to lost their lives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Historical Earthquake Archive - 25 July 1668 |url=https://emidius.eu/GEH/info/?en=1668.0725 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723133040/https://emidius.eu/GEH/info/?en=1668.0725 |archive-date=2021-07-23 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=emidius.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1054|title=CHINA: SHANDONG PROVINCE|publisher=National Geophysical Data Center|access-date=2023-12-08|archive-date=25 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725005731/https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1054|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Late Qing era=== {{See also|Boxer Rebellion|Juye Incident|British Weihaiwei|Shandong Problem}} [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1980-111-62, China, Tsingtau, Besuch Gouverneuers Sun Pao-Chi.jpg|thumb|Imperial German vice admiral Alfred Meyer-Waldeck and other colonial officers, together with Sun Baoqi, the Qing Governor of Shandong, in Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory, April 1910]] After the defeat in the First Opium War, China became increasingly exposed to Western influence; as a coastal province, Shandong was significantly affected. After the Second Opium War, Qing court opened Cheefoo as trade port, and then western powers like established consulates, missionaries, Christian schools, and factories in there. Due to its strategic position, every power wanted to gain its position in the province; in the 1880s, Shandong became the logistics and training base of Beiyang Fleet, and Weihaiwei served as the headquarter of the fleet. However, Beiyang fleet was disastrous defeated by Imperial Japanese Navy in 1894, and Japanese began to penetrate into Shandong. Three years later, two German catholic missionaries were killed in Juye, Heze, causing the Juye Incident, and Qing government had to cede Qingdao to the German Empire. In 1898, Weihaiwei was also given to Britain, as the result of pressure from Russian Empire.

Moreover, due to the annexation of Outer Manchuria by Russia in 1860, the Qing government revoked the prohibition and encouraged settlement of Shandong people to what remained of Manchuria. A large number of people from Shandong migrated to Northeast China, Russian Far East, and Korea in search of better opportunities. Many settled in Northeast China (also known as Manchuria), contributing significantly to the region's demographic and agricultural development, engaging in farming, construction, and mining. Before the extermination and forced deportation by Soviets, there were roughly 200 thousand Chinese labors in Russian Far East, 95% of whom are from Shandong.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=志学 |first=李 |date=2006 |title=试析 1860年～1914年间的赴俄华侨 |url=http://www.ims.sdu.edu.cn/__local/6/DB/C7/A708F042B52870EE2F70A31125D_8D31BFD2_2B7E5.pdf |journal=暨南学报 (Journal of Jinan University) |volume=120}}</ref>

Shandong was one of the first places where the Boxer Rebellion broke out, and became one of the centers of the uprising. In 1899, Qing general Yuan Shikai was appointed governor of the province to suppress the uprising. He held the post for three years.

Germany took control of the peninsula in 1898, leasing Jiaozhou Bay and its port of Qingdao under threat of force. Development was a high priority for the Germans: over 200 million marks were invested in world-class harbor facilities including berths, heavy machinery, rail yards, and a floating dry dock. Private enterprises worked across the Shandong Province, opening mines, banks, factories, and rail lines.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Burkman|first=Thomas W.|title=Japan and the League of Nations: Empire and World Order, 1914–1938|publisher=University of Hawai{{okina}}i Press|year=2008|page=4|doi=10.2307/j.ctt6wqrcq |jstor=j.ctt6wqrcq|isbn=978-0-824-82982-7}}</ref>

As a consequence of the First World War, Japan seized German holdings in Qingdao and Shandong. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles transferred ownership to Japan instead of restoring Chinese sovereignty over the area. Popular dissatisfaction with this outcome, referred to as the Shandong Problem, led to the vehement student protests in the May Fourth Movement. Among the reservations to the Treaty that the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved was "to give Shantung to China", the treaty with reservations was not approved. Finally, Shandong reverted to Chinese control in 1922 after the United States' mediation during the Washington Naval Conference. Weihai followed in 1930.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Craft|first=Stephen G.|year=1997|title=John Bassett Moore, Robert Lansing, and the Shandong Question|url=https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1233&context=publication|journal=Pacific Historical Review|volume=66|issue=2|pages=231–249|doi=10.2307/3640629 |jstor=3640629}}</ref>

=== ROC era === {{see also|Republic of China (1912–1949)||Jinan incident|Battle of Taierzhuang|Second Sino-Japanese War}} [[File:亜細亜大観 06 106 "新しき齊の一邑（淄川）".jpg|thumb|left|Industrial zone of the Luda Company (魯大公司) in Zichuan in 1929. The central Shandong coal basin, endowed with substantial coal reserves, was first systematically exploited by Germans, which laid the foundation for subsequent development of this region]] Shandong's return to Chinese administration came during the Warlord Era of the Republic of China, when the Zhili clique of warlords was given control, but after the Second Zhili–Fengtian War of 1924, the northeast China-based Fengtian clique took over. In April 1925, the Fengtian clique installed the warlord Zhang Zongchang, nicknamed the "Dogmeat General", as military governor of Shandong Province. ''Time'' dubbed him China's "basest warlord".{{clarify|date=July 2021}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C722931%2C00.html|title=CHINA: Basest War Lord|date=1927-03-07|magazine=Time|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-11-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125032834/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,722931,00.html}}</ref> He ruled over the province until 1928 when he was ousted in the wake of the Northern Expedition. He was succeeded by Han Fuju, who was loyal to the warlord Feng Yuxiang but later switched his allegiance to the Nanjing government headed by Chiang Kai-shek. Han Fuju also ousted the warlord Liu Zhennian, nicknamed the "King of Shandong East", who ruled eastern Shandong Province, hence unifying the province under his rule.

In 1937 Japan began its invasion of China in the Second World War, which would eventually become part of the Pacific theater. Han Fuju was made Deputy Commander in Chief of the 5th War Area and put in charge of defending the lower Yellow River valley. However, he abandoned his base and about 600,000 Ethnic Chinese civilians fled out Jinan city with only elderly too old to leave remaining<ref>Wuhan, 1938: War, Refugees, and the Making of Modern China</ref> when Japanese troops crossed the Yellow River. He was executed shortly thereafter for not following orders . thumb|The surrender ceremony of Japanese troops in Shandong Theater on 27 December 1945 During the Japanese occupation, with resistance continuing in the unoccupied areas especially by Muslim peasant villages, by 1945, communist Chinese Red Army forces already held some parts of Shandong. Over the next four years of the Chinese Civil War, they expanded their holdings, eventually driving the Kuomintang (government of the Republic of China) out of Shandong to the island of Taiwan. In May 1947, during the Menglianggu Campaign in the Yimeng Mountains of central Shandong, the Chinese Communist East China Field Army annihilated the Nationalist 74th Corp, widely considered the most elite unit of the National Revolutionary Army.<ref>{{Cite web |title=場孤注一擲的豪賭——不可想像的孟良崮戰役 |url=http://big5.huaxia.com/js/gc/2007/00627698.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511232310/http://big5.huaxia.com/js/gc/2007/00627698.html |archive-date=2016-05-11 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=big5.huaxia.com}}</ref> In 1948, Communist forces captured Weixian—then known as the "fortress of central Shandong"—during the Battle of Weixian.<ref name="weifang">{{cite web| url=http://www.wfsq.gov.cn/2009/0209/1411.html| title=Battle of Weixian| publisher=Weifang Local History Office| date=2010-07-22| accessdate=2013-07-21| url-status=live| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304140550/http://www.wfsq.gov.cn/2009/0209/1411.html| archivedate=2016-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=潍县战役——华东战场上的第一个攻坚战——国防部网站 |url=http://www.mod.gov.cn/hist/2012-10/24/content_4408077.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229001912/http://www.mod.gov.cn/hist/2012-10/24/content_4408077.htm |archive-date=2012-12-29 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.mod.gov.cn}}</ref>

On 2 June 1949, after the withdrawal of the Nationalist Army's 11th Pacification District and U.S. forces from Qingdao, the People's Liberation Army entered the city and incorporated it into Shandong's jurisdiction. On 12 August of the same year, the PLA's Third Field Army secured victory in the Changshan Islands Campaign.<ref name="xinhua 2012-09-19">{{Cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2012-09/19/c_123736149.htm |title=Changshan Islands Campaign: PLA's first major amphibious landing operation|accessdate=2014-04-20 |author1=Shi Qipeng|author2=Shen Hong|editor=Wang Yao|date=2012-09-19|work=Xinhua News|publisher=People's Daily |url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007154819/http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2012-09/19/c_123736149.htm |archivedate=2012-10-07}}</ref> With this, the Communist forces had taken full control of Shandong Province.<ref name="xinhua 2012-09-19"/>

=== In People's Republic=== Under the new Communist government, parts of western Shandong were initially given to create the short-lived Pingyuan Province, but this did not last. Shandong also acquired the Prefectures of Xuzhou and Lianyungang, but this did not last either. For the most part, Shandong has kept the same borders that it has today.

Shandong suffrered heavily during the Great Chinese Famine of 1959–62, about six million people starved to death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gu|first=Chang-Sheng|title=Awaken: Memoirs of a Chinese Historian|url={{Google books|XhLO5pr-QFwC|pages=130-131|plainurl=yes}}|year=2009|pages=130–131}}</ref> On 25 August 1966, a confrontation known as the "Qingdao Incident" broke out between cadres and workers on one side and students from three major local universities on the other. This marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in Shandong Province.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Zhang Zhaoxin|title="Qingdao Incident" opened the Cultural Revolution in Shandong, foreshadowing the power seizure by rebel factions|url=http://arc.dailyqd.com/2015-04/30/content_244061.htm|website=Qingbao|accessdate=2016-11-30|date=2015-04-30|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201020621/http://arc.dailyqd.com/2015-04/30/content_244061.htm|archivedate=2016-12-01}}</ref>

Mao died in 1976, ending the era of restless political movement in China, two years later, the new leadership launched the Reform and Opening Up. Shandong, especially the eastern coastal region—experienced significant economic development. By 1986, for the first time, the total output value of township and village enterprises across the province surpassed that of agriculture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=纪念改革开放30年：“创新山东”异彩纷呈--中国共产党新闻--中国共产党新闻-人民网 |url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64093/64387/8482969.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201012423/http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64093/64387/8482969.html |archive-date=2016-12-01 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=cpc.people.com.cn}}</ref>

In 1996, Shandong became the first province in China to achieve full electrification of all households. In 1999, Zhanhua County, the province's last officially designated impoverished county, was declared poverty-free. In 2004, Shandong overtook Guangdong in both industrial output and profits, becoming China's top province in industrial strength for the first time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东VS广东：谁是中国工业第一大省--财经--人民网 |url=http://finance.people.com.cn/GB/1037/3682239.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315070522/http://finance.people.com.cn/GB/1037/3682239.html |archive-date=2018-03-15 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=finance.people.com.cn}}</ref> [[File:青岛港大港.jpg|thumb|Benefited from its coast, Shandong experienced rapid economic growth after 1978. Ports like Qingdao, Yantai, and Rizhao are constantly ranked top 50 in the world by container traffics]] In August and September 2008, Qingdao, as a partner city of Beijing, hosted the sailing competitions of the 29th Summer Olympic Games and the 13th Summer Paralympic Games.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://2008.people.com.cn/GB/116565/7639270.html|title=Qingdao holds launching ceremony for Olympic sailing events|author=Song Xuechun, Ma Yuefeng|date=2008-08-09|work=People's Daily Olympic Channel|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305003129/http://2008.people.com.cn/GB/116565/7639270.html|archivedate=2017-03-05}}</ref>

In 2009, Jinan hosted the 11th National Games of the People's Republic of China. On 16 July 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited China, during which both sides agreed to support the establishment of the Sino-German Ecopark within the Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Zone.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://cn.sinogerman-ecopark.com/html/2011-12/1112011536032139_1.html|title=Memorandum of Understanding signed by China's Ministry of Commerce and Germany's Ministry of Economics and Technology to jointly support the Sino-German Ecopark|date=2011-12-01|publisher=Qingdao Sino-German United Group|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305002950/http://cn.sinogerman-ecopark.com/html/2011-12/1112011536032139_1.html|archivedate=2017-03-05|access-date=2016-11-30}}</ref>

In 2011, the development plan for the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone was officially approved.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Meng Xuan|title=Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone officially upgraded|url=http://www.china.com.cn/2011/2011-02/26/content_22009628.htm|website=China.com|publisher=2011 National People's Congress|accessdate=2016-12-01|date=2011-02-26|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202035518/http://www.china.com.cn/2011/2011-02/26/content_22009628.htm|archivedate=2016-12-02}}</ref> On 3 June 2014, the State Council formally approved the establishment of the national-level Qingdao West Coast New Area in Huangdao District.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2014-06/09/content_8870.htm|title=Reply on the approval for establishing Qingdao West Coast New Area|author=State Council|publisher=gov.cn|date=2014-06-03|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211034713/http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2014-06/09/content_8870.htm|archivedate=2015-12-11}}</ref>

In August 2019, the State Council approved the establishment of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which includes three areas: Jinan, Qingdao, and Yantai. By 2020, the total population of the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration was expected to exceed 103 million, with an urban population of 67 million.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Li Gong|title=Entire Shandong Province joins the Peninsula Urban Agglomeration to absorb non-capital functions|url=http://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2017-02-15/doc-ifyamkzq1317180.shtml|accessdate=2017-02-15|agency=First Financial Daily|date=15 February 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215001442/http://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2017-02-15/doc-ifyamkzq1317180.shtml|archivedate=2017-02-15}}</ref>

== Geography == [[File:50513-Taishan (49055887817).jpg|left|thumb|Mount Tai, with the height of {{convert|1545|m}}, is the highest point of Shandong Province]] [[File:Yellowriver etm 2000123 lrg.jpg|thumb|Yellow River Delta, which is located {{convert|60|km}} from downtown Dongying, is one of the largest river delta in the world<ref>{{cite journal|author1=张茵|title=黄河三角洲世界上最新鲜的土地|journal=中国国家地理|date=2008|issue=第8期|url=http://www.dili360.com/cng/article/p5350c3d9e9fa210.htm|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112183939/http://www.dili360.com/cng/article/p5350c3d9e9fa210.htm|archivedate=2017-01-12}}</ref>]] [[File:Rongcheng, Weihai.jpg|thumb|View of Rongcheng, the eastmost city of Shandong from a hill]] Shandong is on the eastern edge of the North China Plain and in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and extends out to sea as the Shandong Peninsula. Shandong borders the Bohai Sea to the north, Hebei to the northwest, Henan to the west, Jiangsu to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the northeast, east and southeast. It shares a short border with Anhui between Henan and Jiangsu.

The northwestern, western, and southwestern parts of the province are all part of the vast North China Plain. The province's center is more mountainous, with Mount Tai being the most prominent. The east of the province is the hilly Shandong Peninsula extending into the sea; Miaodao Archipaelago to the north of Shandong Peninsula is the border of Bohai Sea (west) and Yellow Sea (east). The highest peak of Shandong is Jade Emperor Peak, with a height of {{convert|1545|m}}, which is also the highest peak in the Mount Tai Ranges. {{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

The Yellow River passes through Shandong's western areas, since 1855, it has always been entering the sea to Shandong's northern coast; in Shandong, it flows on a levee, higher than the surrounding land, and dividing western Shandong into the Hai He watershed in the north and the Huai River watershed in the south. The Grand Canal of China enters Shandong from the northwest and leaves on the southwest. Weishan Lake is the largest lake in the province. Shandong's coastline is {{convert|3000|km}} long. Shandong Peninsula has a rocky coastline with cliffs, bays, and islands; Laizhou Bay, the southernmost of the 3 bays of the Bohai Sea, is bordering the northern coast between Dongying and Penglai; Jiaozhou Bay, which is much smaller, is surrounded by Qingdao. The Miaodao Islands extends northwards from the northernmost coast of the peninsula, separating the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.

With Jinan serving as the province's economic and cultural center, the province's economic prowess has led to the development of modern coastal cities located at Qingdao, Weihai, and Yantai. {{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

=== Climate === [[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Shandong 1991–2020.svg|thumb|Koppen Classification map of Shandong, based on its climate from 1991 to 2020]] Shandong has a temperate climate: humid continental (Köppen ''Dwa''); it is bordering humid subtropical (C''wa'' under the Köppen climate classification) in the south. Generally, summers are hot (typical max 35 °C) and rainy (except for eastern parts of Jiaodong Peninsula (typical max 28 °C) and Mount Tai (typical max 20 °C)), while winters are cold and dry. Average temperatures are {{convert|−9|to|1|°C|°F}} in January and {{convert|18|to|28|°C|°F}} in July. Annual precipitation is {{convert|550|to|950|mm|abbr=on}}, the vast majority of which occurs during summer, due to monsoonal influences. {| class="wikitable" border="1" style="border: 2px solid #666; border-collapse: collapse;font-size:smaller; text-align: right;" |+Average temperature in Shandong (°C)<ref>{{cite web|title=气候资源数据库|url=http://www.data.ac.cn/zrzy/g03.asp?name=%CE%DE&pass=%CE%DE&danwei=%CE%DE&kubian=G03&kuming=%C6%F8%BA%F2%D7%CA%D4%B4%CA%FD%BE%DD%BF%E2|website=人地系统主题数据库|publisher=中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所|accessdate=2016-12-06|archive-date=2021-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214011056/http://www.data.ac.cn/zrzy/g03.asp?name=%CE%DE&pass=%CE%DE&danwei=%CE%DE&kubian=G03&kuming=%C6%F8%BA%F2%D7%CA%D4%B4%CA%FD%BE%DD%BF%E2|url-status=live}}</ref> |- style="text-align: center;" | || colspan="4" |'''Spring'''|| colspan="4"|'''Summer'''|| colspan="4"|'''Fall'''|| colspan="4"|'''Winter'''|| |- style="border-bottom: 2px solid #666;" !Location||Mar||Apr||May||Seasonal avg.||Jun||Jul||Aug||Seasonal avg.||Sept||Oct||Nov||Seasonal avg.||Dec||Jan||Feb||Seasonal avg.||Annual avg. |- |'''Jinan'''||7.6||15.2||21.8||14.9||26.3||27.4||26.2||26.6||21.7||15.8||7.9||15.1||1.1||−1.4||0.1||0.3||14.2 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Qingdao'''||4.5||10.2||15.7||10.1||20.0||23.9||25.1||23.0||24.1||15.9||8.8||15.4||2.0||−1.2||0.1||0.3||12.2 |- |'''Zibo'''||6.1||13.8||20.2||13.4||25.1||26.9||25.5||25.8||20.5||14.2||6.5||13.7||−0.5||−3.0||−0.6||−1.4||12.9 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Zaozhuang'''||7.5||14.1||20.0||13.9||24.9||26.8||26.3||26.0||21.3||15.3||8.0||14.9||1.5||-0.8||1.5||0.7||13.9 |- |'''Dongying'''||4.5||12.1||19.1||11.9||23.5||26.0||25.4||25.0||20.2||13.8||5.8||13.3||−1.3||−4.0||−1.9||−2.4||11.9 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Yantai'''||4.3||11.2||17.8||11.1||21.7||24.7||25.0||23.8||21.2||15.6||8.4||15.1||1.6||−1.6||−0.5||−0.2||12.5 |- |'''Weifang'''||5.1||12.5||19.1||12.2||23.6||25.9||25.2||24.9||20.2||14.2||6.5||13.6||−0.5||−3.2||−1.0||−1.6||12.3 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Jining'''||7.3||14.2||20.2||13.9||25.4||26.9||26.0||26.1||20.7||14.8||7.1||14.2||0.4||−1.9||0.9||−0.2||13.5 |- |'''Binzhou'''||5.4||13.0||19.8||12.7||24.5||26.5||25.5||25.5||20.3||13.9||5.9||13.4||−0.9||−3.8||−1.4||−2.0||12.4 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Dezhou'''||6.0||14.0||20.7||13.6||25.5||26.9||25.5||26.0||20.6||14.1||5.9||13.5||−1.0||−3.4||−0.8||−1.7||12.9 |- |'''Heze'''||7.1||14.3||20.4||13.9||25.7||27.0||25.9||26.2||20.8||14.7||7.2||14.2||0.6||−1.7||1.2||0.0||13.6 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Liaocheng'''||6.9||14.1||20.5||13.8||25.6||26.8||25.6||26.0||20.5||14.4||6.6||13.8||−0.1||−2.6||−0.2||−0.8||13.2 |- |'''Linyi'''||6.3||13.3||19.3||13.0||23.9||26.2||25.9||25.3||21.0||15.0||7.7||14.6||1.0||−1.5||0.7||0.1||13.2 |- style="background: #ddd;" |'''Tai'an'''||6.3||13.5||19.4||13.1||24.7||26.3||25.4||25.5||20.3||14.4||6.5||13.7||−0.3||−2.7||0.1||−1.0||12.8 |- |'''Mount Tai'''||−1.6||5.6||11.3||5.1||15.6||17.8||17.1||16.8||12.5||6.8||−0.2||6.4||−6.1||−8.6||−6.7||−7.1||5.3 |}

=== Geology === [[File:Shantungosaurus life.png|thumb|''Shantungosaurus'' was a flat-headed, crestless hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived in East Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. It is the largest known non-sauropod herbivorous dinosaur in the world, with a body size that even exceeded that of large carnivorous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus]] Shandong is part of the Eastern Block of the North China craton. Beginning in the Mesozoic, Shandong has undergone a crustal thinning that is unusual for a craton and that has reduced the thickness of the crust from {{convert|200|km|abbr=on}} to as little as {{convert|80|km|abbr=on}}. Shandong has hence experienced extensive volcanism in the Tertiary.

Some geological formations in Shandong are rich in fossils. For example, Zhucheng in southeastern Shandong has been the site of discovering many dinosaur fossils. In 2008, about 7,600 dinosaur bones from ''Zhuchengtyrannus'', ''Ankylosaurus'', and other genera were found, likely the largest collection ever discovered at one location.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7806062.stm|title=China finds major dinosaur site|date=2008-12-31|last=Jackson|first=Steve|access-date=2022-08-09|work=BBC News|archive-date=7 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007005719/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7806062.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Resources === [[File:Land-use-changes-in-Shandong-province-during-20002008.jpg|thumb| Land use changes in Shandong Province between 2000 and 2008 {{legend|#e8e8a2|Arable land}} {{legend|#5fdec9|Forest}} {{legend|#2de346|Grassland}} {{legend|#2580f7|Water bodies}} {{legend|#f70e0a|Built-up areas}} {{legend|#ff59e6|Unused land}} ]]

Shandong is rich in mineral resources, with 128 types of minerals discovered across the province—accounting for 78% of all known mineral types in China. Among the 74 minerals with proven reserves, over 30 rank among the top ten in the country. Of these, gold (rock gold), native sulfur (over 90% of the national reserve), and gypsum (about 70% of national reserves) rank first nationwide. Jiaodong region is the largest gold-producing area in China and the third-largest gold concentration zone in the world.<ref>{{cite news|title=喜讯！山东胶东黄金成全球第三大金矿集区|url=http://gold.hexun.com/2017-05-03/189048535.html|accessdate=2018-03-14|agency=和讯网|publisher=中金网|date=2017-05-03|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315003709/http://gold.hexun.com/2017-05-03/189048535.html|archivedate=2018-03-15}}</ref> Within the province's maritime exclusive economic zone, 102 types of marine minerals have been discovered, 65 of which have proven reserves.

In 2015, Shandong had a total land area of 237 million mu (approximately 15.8 million hectares), including 173 million mu of agricultural land (with 114 million mu of cultivated land), 42.3 million mu of construction land, and 21.63 million mu of unused land.<ref>{{cite web|title=解读《山东省土地整治规划（2016-2020年）》发布会|url=http://www.scio.gov.cn/xwfbh/gssxwfbh/xwfbh/shandong/Document/1623375/1623375.htm|website=Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China|publisher=中国山东网 |accessdate=2018-03-14|date=2018-02-09|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315003713/http://www.scio.gov.cn/xwfbh/gssxwfbh/xwfbh/shandong/Document/1623375/1623375.htm|archivedate=2018-03-15}}</ref> The province features six major soil types: brown earth, cinnamon soil, fluvo-aquic soil, sandy loam black soil, saline-alkali soil, and paddy soil. Among these, fluvo-aquic, brown, and cinnamon soils occupy the largest areas, accounting for 48%, 24%, and 19% of the cultivated land, respectively.

According to the results of the ninth continuous national forest resource survey, Shandong had a forest coverage rate of 17.51%.<ref>{{cite web|author1=李静|title=山东森林覆盖率17.51% 国家级湿地公园数量全国第一|url=http://www.forestry.gov.cn/main/447/content-1070286.html|website=State Forestry Administration|publisher=齐鲁网|accessdate=2018-03-17|date=2018-01-23|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317110147/http://www.forestry.gov.cn/main/447/content-1070286.html|archivedate=2018-03-17}}</ref> Vegetation in the province belongs to 80 families, 203 genera, and includes 615 species. The natural vegetation is mainly warm-temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, with the predominant genus being Quercus (oak), such as Quercus variabilis, Quercus dentata, and Quercus aliena, with the first being the most common. Representative conifer species include the Japanese red pine.

Shandong is home to more than 400 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including nearly 50 mammal species, 356 bird species, 17 reptile species, and 2 amphibian species.<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东概况_中国网 |url=http://www.china.com.cn/aboutchina/zhuanti/09dfgl/2009-05/22/content_17821154_2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305011203/http://www.china.com.cn/aboutchina/zhuanti/09dfgl/2009-05/22/content_17821154_2.htm |archive-date=2017-03-05 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.china.com.cn}}</ref> Additionally, there are over 600 species of marine economic organisms, including 260 species of fish and 90 species of shellfish.

== Politics == === Party head and provincial government === [[File:濟南珍珠泉賓館及省人大大門.jpg|thumb|Entrance of Shandong Provincial People's Congress in Jinan; the People's Congress in China is equivalent to state council in Western countries. This site was also used as Masion of Governor of Shandong during Qing Dynasty]] [[File:Qufu kong lin spiritway 2010 06 05.jpg|thumb|Tomb of the 64th generation senior descendant of Confucius, Kong Shangxian. Many generations of the senior-branch direct descendants of Confucius ruled the Qufu area as its feudal rulers]] {{main|Politics of Shandong}}

The Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is the leading organ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Shandong Province. It is elected by the Shandong Provincial Congress of the CCP and, during the intersessional period of the congress, executes the directives of the Central Committee of the CCP and the resolutions of the provincial congress, leads the work of Shandong Province, and regularly reports its work to the Central Committee of the CCP.<ref>{{cite news |date=2012-11-18 |title=中国共产党章程 |trans-title=Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/18cpcnc/2012-11/18/c_113714762_5.htm |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116123240/http://news.xinhuanet.com/18cpcnc/2012-11/18/c_113714762_5.htm |archivedate=2017-01-16 |accessdate=2017-02-22 |work=Xinhua News Agency |publisher= |language=zh |quote=Chapter IV: Local Party Organizations |agency=}}</ref> Lin Wu is the current Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The Shandong Provincial People's Congress is the organ of state power in Shandong Province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=人民代表大会制度 |url=http://www.gov.cn/test/2010-07/20/content_18181.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512135428/http://www.gov.cn/test/2010-07/20/content_18181.htm |archive-date=2023-05-12 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.gov.cn}}</ref> It was established on 17 August 1954.<ref>{{cite web|title=Online Photo Exhibition in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress |url=http://www.iqilu.com/html/zt/yx/rendayingzhan/|website=Qilu Net|publisher=Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress|accessdate=2016-12-09|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082746/http://www.iqilu.com/html/zt/yx/rendayingzhan/|archivedate=2016-12-20}}</ref> It currently consists of provincial deputies elected from the 16 prefecture-level cities of Shandong and the People's Liberation Army units stationed in the province.<ref>{{cite web|title=List of the 906 Deputies to the 12th Shandong Provincial People's Congress|url=http://leaders.people.com.cn/n/2013/0123/c58278-20300056.html|website=People.cn|publisher=Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress |accessdate=2016-12-03|date=2013-01-23|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203124812/http://leaders.people.com.cn/n/2013/0123/c58278-20300056.html|archivedate=2016-12-03}}</ref> Lin Wu currently also serves as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The Shandong Provincial People's Government is the State Administration in Shandong province. Its main officials are elected and appointed by The Shandong Provincial People's Congress.<ref>{{Cite web |last=刘明 |title=Zhou Naixiang elected governor of China's Shandong |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202110/27/WS6178f4fea310cdd39bc719f5.html |access-date=2026-03-19 |website=www.chinadaily.com.cn}}</ref> The provincial government reports to Shandong Provincial People's Congress and State Council of the People's Republic of China. The current Governor of Shandong is Zhou Naixiang.<ref>{{Cite web |last=刘明 |title=Zhou Naixiang elected governor of China's Shandong |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202110/27/WS6178f4fea310cdd39bc719f5.html |access-date=2026-03-19 |website=www.chinadaily.com.cn}}</ref>

=== Judicial system === thumb|Shandong Provincial Supreme Court In ancient times, Shandong implemented a judicial system in which administrative and judicial powers were combined—local administrative chiefs also served as judicial officials. It was not until the late Qing dynasty that a modern judicial system began to take shape.<ref name=sfz/> In August 1910, the province established the Office of the Judicial Commissioner (提法使司). In January 1911, the Shandong Provincial High Court and the High Prosecutor's Office were established, along with local courts and prosecutor's offices in the provincial capital, Jinan commercial port, and Yantai commercial port. In December of the same year, the Shandong Model Prison was founded in Jinan.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

After the founding of the Republic of China, civil and criminal judicial institutions in Shandong were divided into primary, local, and high-level courts. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, all levels of Shandong's judicial organs underwent judicial reform, and participated in movements such as the Three-Anti and Five-Anti Campaigns.<ref name=sfz>{{Harvnb|Shandong Provincial Gazetteer: Judicial Volume|loc=Preface}}</ref>

Today, the Shandong High People's Court serves as the highest court in the province, under the supervision of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China. The current President of the Court is Huo Min. As of February 2018, there are 18 intermediate courts in Shandong, including 16 municipal intermediate people's courts, as well as two specialized courts: the Jinan Railway Transport Intermediate Court and the Qingdao Maritime Court. The province also has 156 basic-level courts and 633 grassroots tribunals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东省高级人民法院简介 |url=http://www.sdcourt.gov.cn/nwglpt/_2343755/_2343823/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228044130/http://www.sdcourt.gov.cn/nwglpt/_2343755/_2343823/index.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.sdcourt.gov.cn}}</ref>

The Shandong People's Procuratorate serves as the legal supervisory authority, comprising 16 municipal-level procuratorates, 1 railway transport procuratorate, and 161 grassroots procuratorates.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introduction to Municipal Procuratorates|url=http://www.sdjcy.gov.cn/html/jwgk/syjs/sjyjj/|website=Shandong Provincial People's Procuratorate|accessdate=2016-12-02|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203123323/http://www.sdjcy.gov.cn/html/jwgk/syjs/sjyjj/|archivedate=2016-12-03}}</ref>

=== Military === [[File:Dong Jun (2024) (cropped) 2.jpg|thumb|180px|Dong Jun, a native from Yantai, and former chief of staff of North Sea Fleet, now served as China's 14th Minister of National Defense |left]] In February 1949, the Shandong Military Region was established.<ref name=jsz>{{Harvnb|山东省志·军事志|loc=概述}}</ref> In 1955, it was reorganized into the Jinan Military Region, which was responsible for the operational command of the land, sea, and air forces within the two provincial-level administrative regions of Shandong and Henan, as well as military, political, and logistical affairs of its subordinate units. It also oversaw the militia, conscription, mobilization, and battlefield construction within its jurisdiction. It served as the strategic general reserve force of the entire PLA. The military region headquarters was located in Shizhong, Jinan.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Zhang Hongyan|title=Why Were There Four Shandong Military Regions in PLA History?|url=http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/16965310.html|website=People's Daily|publisher=PLA Daily|accessdate=2016-12-03|date=2012-01-30|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615004333/http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/16965310.html|archivedate=2015-06-15}}</ref>

In October 1961, based on the Mobilization Department of the Jinan Military Region, the Shandong Provincial Military District was established.<ref>{{cite book |title = CPC Shandong Provincial Organization History Data, 1921–1987: Political Power, Military, CPPCC, Mass Organizations, and Enterprise Institutions, 1949–1987 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3xVPAAAAIAAJ |year = 1991 |publisher = Party History Press |page = 456}}</ref> The militia system was widely implemented across the province. By 1985, Shandong had approximately 1.6 million first-class reserve troops and about 6.4 million second-class reserve troops.<ref name=jsz/>

Since 2012, Shandong's border defense has advanced the construction of an integrated land-sea control system, achieving notable results.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shandong Advances Integrated Land-Sea Control System for Border Defense|url=http://mini.eastday.com/a/160922173852792.html|website=CNR Military|accessdate=2017-01-04|date=2016-09-22|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104234736/http://mini.eastday.com/a/160922173852792.html|archivedate=2017-01-04}}</ref> Currently, the commander of the provincial military district is Qiu Yuechao, and the political commissar is Wang Aiguo.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Zhang Jiaran|title=New Political Commissar for Shandong Provincial Military District: Shang Zhengui from Hebei Succeeds Lü Minsong|url=http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1509556|website=The Paper|accessdate=2016-11-29|date=2016-08-06|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216101056/http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1509556|archivedate=2017-02-16}}</ref>

After the establishment of the Theater Commands on 1 February 2016, Shandong came under the jurisdiction of the PLA Northern Theater Command. The headquarters of the Northern Theater Army, the Shandong Provincial Military District, and the Shandong Armed Police Corps are stationed in Jinan. Qingdao hosts the headquarters of the PLA Northern Theater Navy. The PLA Navy's first destroyer unit was founded in Qingdao in 1954. The base for China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and its nuclear submarine base are also located in Qingdao.<ref>{{cite web|title=Qingdao's Nuclear Submarine Base Reveals Two Strategic Weapons, Shocking the World|url=http://www.xinruijunshi.com/jsbl/20140414/85836.shtml|website=New Frontier Military|publisher=Military Frontline|accessdate=2016-12-02|date=2014-04-14|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203060756/http://www.xinruijunshi.com/jsbl/20140414/85836.shtml|archivedate=2016-12-03}}</ref>

Other cities are also of military importance. The headquarter of the PLA 80th Group Army is located in Weifang.<ref>{{cite news|title=Media: One Month After Formation of Five Theater Commands, Where Are the 18 Group Armies Deployed?|url=http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2016-02-28/doc-ifxpvysv4979300.shtml|accessdate=2016-02-29|agency=Legal Evening News|date=2016-02-28|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229094741/http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2016-02-28/doc-ifxpvysv4979300.shtml|archivedate=2016-02-29}}</ref> The PLA Rocket Force's 822nd Missile Brigade is stationed in Laiwu, equipped with DF-21C medium-range ballistic missiles,<ref>{{cite web|title=10 DF-21Cs Fill the Frame—Shocking Exposure of a Rocket Force Missile Base|url=http://m.ettoday.net/news/20161001/784534.htm|website=ETToday|accessdate=2017-01-10|date=2016-10-01|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112190637/http://m.ettoday.net/news/20161001/784534.htm|archivedate=2017-01-12}}</ref> and the Rocket Force NCO School of People's Liberation Army Rocket Force was established in Qingzhou, Weifang in 2017. On 17 December 2019, the aircraft carrier ''Shandong'' was officially commissioned.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Remember the Warm Care, Strive to Strengthen the Military—President Xi's Attendance at the Commissioning Ceremony of China's First Domestically Built Aircraft Carrier Resonates Across the Armed Forces|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-12/19/c_1125362827.htm|accessdate=2020-06-22|work=www.xinhuanet.com|archive-date=2020-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622215046/http://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-12/19/c_1125362827.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Economy == As of 1832, Shandong was exporting fruits, vegetables, wine, drugs, and deerskin, often heading to Guangzhou to exchange clothing and fabrics.<ref name=Roberts1/> The economy of Shandong is China's third largest provincial economy with a GDP of CNY¥8.3 trillion in 2021 or USD$1.3 trillion in (nominal), which is equivalent to the GDP of Mexico.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Its GDP per capita is around the national average. Compared to a country, it would be the 15th-largest economy and the 15th most populous as of 2021.<ref name=":2" />

Shandong ranks first among the provinces in the production of a variety of products, including cotton, wheat, and garlic<ref>{{cite book|title=Fresh Garlic from China, Inv. 731-TA-683 (Second Review)|url={{Google books|6xZXpHREixMC|page=I-24|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=DIANE Publishing|date=n.d.|page=I-24|isbn=9781457818745}}</ref> as well as precious metals such as gold and diamonds. It also has one of the biggest sapphire deposits in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.china-sapphire.com/about1.asp |title=Location and how discovered |date=n.d. |publisher=China Sapphire |access-date=2009-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-07-03|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070703160523/http://www.china-sapphire.com/about1.asp}}</ref> Other important crops include sorghum and maize. Shandong has extensive petroleum deposits as well, especially the Shengli Oil Field<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Zhan |first=Jing Vivian |title=China's Contained Resource Curse: How Minerals Shape State-Capital-Labor Relations |date=2022 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-04898-9 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom}}</ref>{{Rp|page=39}} (lit. Victory Oilfield) in the Dongying area in the Yellow River delta. Shandong also produces bromine from underground wells and salt from seawater. It is the largest agricultural exporter in China.

Shandong is one of China's richest provinces, and its economic development focuses on large enterprises with well-known brand names. Shandong is the biggest industrial producer and one of the top manufacturing provinces in China. Shandong has also benefited from South Korean and Japanese investment and tourism, due to its geographical proximity to those countries.<ref name="thechinaperspective.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thechinaperspective.com/topics/province/shandong-province/ |title=Shandong Province |date=n.d. |publisher=The China Perspective |access-date=2022-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305173906/http://www.thechinaperspective.com/topics/province/shandong-province/}}</ref> The richest part of the province is the Shandong Peninsula, where the city of Qingdao is home to three of the most well-known brand names of China: Tsingtao Beer, Haier and Hisense. Besides, Dongying's oil fields and petroleum industries form an important component of Shandong's economy. Despite the primacy of Shandong's energy sector, the province has also been plagued with problems of inefficiency and ranks as the largest consumer of fossil fuels in all of China.<ref name="thechinaperspective.com"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"style="border: 2px solid #666; border-collapse: collapse;font-size:smaller; text-align: right;" | align=center colspan=10 | '''Historical GDP of Shandong Province, 1952–present''' (SNA2008)<ref name="SNA2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.stats-sd.gov.cn/art/2017/10/13/art_5282_198085.html|title=关于将研究与开发支出计入生产总值核算修订生产总值核算数据的公告 |date=2017-10-13 |publisher=Shandong Provincial Bureau of Statistics |access-date=2022-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2017-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227235426/http://www.stats-sd.gov.cn/art/2017/10/13/art_5282_198085.html |language=zh}}</ref> (purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, as Int'l.dollar based on IMF WEO October 2017{{refn|group=note|Purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, as Int'l.dollar based on IMF WEO October 2017. Purchasing power parity (PPP) for Chinese yuan is estimate according to IMF WEO<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/SPROLLS/world-economic-outlook-databases#sort=%40imfdate%20descending|title=The World Economic Outlook Database |date=2021 |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=2022-08-09 |archive-date=2020-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126181855/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/SPROLLs/world-economic-outlook-databases#sort=%40imfdate%20descending|url-status=live}}</ref> data; Exchange rate of CN¥ to US$ is according to State Administration of Foreign Exchange, published in the ''China Statistical Yearbook''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/Statisticaldata/AnnualData/ |title=Annual Data |date=n.d. |publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China |access-date=2022-08-09 |archive-date=2015-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020062416/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/Statisticaldata/AnnualData/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}} |- align=center | align=center rowspan=3| year | align=center colspan=4| '''GDP''' | align=center colspan=3| '''GDP per capita (GDPpc) ''' ''based on mid-year population '' | align=center colspan=2| '''Reference index''' |- align=center | align=center colspan=3| GDP ''in millions'' | align=center rowspan=2| real growth (%) | align=center colspan=3| GDPpc | align=center colspan=2| exchange rate ''1 foreign currency to CNY '' |- align=center ||CNY ||USD ||PPP (Int'l$.) ||CNY ||USD ||PPP (Int'l$.) ||USD 1 ||Int'l$. 1 (PPP) |- align=right ||2016||6,802,449||1,024,110||1,943,057||7.6||68,733||10,348||19,633||6.6423||3.5009 |- align=right ||2015||6,393,074||1,026,439||1,801,120||8.0||65,114||10,454||18,345||6.2284||3.5495 |- align=right ||2014||6,030,036||981,643||1,698,410||8.7||61,774||10,056||17,399||6.1428||3.5504 |- align=right ||2013||5,602,372||904,601||1,566,265||9.6||57,702||9,317||16,132||6.1932||3.5769 |- align=right ||2012||5,071,045||803,334||1,428,142||9.9||52,490||8,315||14,783||6.3125||3.5508 |- align=right ||2011||4,543,951||703,529||1,296,235||10.9||47,416||7,341||13,526||6.4588||3.5055 |- align=right ||2010||3,962,074||585,283||1,196,784||12.3||41,579||6,142||12,559||6.7695||3.3106 |- align=right ||2009||3,425,154||501,413||1,084,768||12.2||36,270||5,310||11,487||6.8310||3.1575 |- align=right ||2008||3,123,138||449,689||983,108||12.1||33,253||4,788||10,467||6.9451||3.1768 |- align=right ||2007||2,599,074||341,804||862,076||14.3||27,833||3,660||9,232||7.6040||3.0149 |- align=right ||2006||2,205,967||276,721||766,573||14.7||23,775||2,982||8,262||7.9718||2.8777 |- align=right ||2005||1,849,700||225,802||646,974||15.1||20,075||2,451||7,022||8.1917||2.8590 |- align=right ||2000||833,747||100,714||306,604||10.3||9,326||1,127||3,430||8.2784||2.7193 |- align=right ||1990||151,119||31,594||88,758||5.3||1,815||379||1,066||4.7832||1.7026 |- align=right ||1980||29,213||19,496||19,534||12.2||402||268||269||1.4984||1.4955 |- align=right ||1978||22,545||14,498||||10.1||316||203||||1.5550|| |- align=right ||1970||12,631||5,131||||15.7||199||81||||2.4618|| |- align=right ||1965||8,625||3,504||||22.0||152||62||||2.4618|| |- align=right ||1957||6,139||2,358||||−3.5||116||45||||2.6040|| |- align=right ||1952||4,381||1,971||||||91||41||||2.2227|| |} ; Nominal GDP of Shandong by year (billion CNY) <timeline> Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.7)

ImageSize = width:1000 height:350 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:30 top:30 right:50 DateFormat = x.y Period =from:0 till:11000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:5000 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:white increment:250 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo

BarData= bar:1950 bar:1951 bar:1952 text:1952 bar:1953 bar:1954 bar:1955 bar:1960 bar:1961 bar:1962 bar:1963 bar:1964 text:1964 bar:1965 bar:1966 bar:1976 bar:1977 bar:1978 text:1978 bar:1979 bar:1980 bar:1981 bar:1982 text:1982 bar:1983 bar:1984 bar:1983 bar:1986 text:1986 bar:1987 bar:1988 bar:1989 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:1991 bar:1992 bar:1993 bar:1994 bar:1998 bar:1999 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2001 bar:2002 bar:2003 bar:2004 bar:2007 bar:2008 bar:2009 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2011 bar:2012 bar:2013 bar:2014 bar:2018 bar:2019 bar:2020 text:2020 bar:2021 bar:2022 bar:2023 bar:2024 bar:2025 text:2025

PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1952 from:0 till: 4.38 text:4.38 bar:1964 from:0 till: 7.166 text:7.17 bar:1978 from:0 till: 22.55 text:22.55 bar:1982 from:0 till: 39.54 text:39.54 bar:1986 from:0 till: 74.21 text:74.21 bar:1990 from:0 till: 151.11 text:151.11 bar:2000 from:0 till: 827.81 text:827.81 bar:2010 from:0 till: 3392.249text:3392.2 bar:2020 from:0 till: 7312 text:7312.9 bar:2025 from:0 till: 10319.7 text:10319.7 </timeline>

=== Agriculture === {{multiple image | total_width = 290 | image_style = border:1; | perrow = 3/2/2 | title = Shandong Agricultural Product | image1 = HK SKD TKO Po Yap Road 將軍澳廣場 Tseung Kwan O Plaza K-mart fresh food indoor market shop 佳寶食品 Kai Bo Food Supermarket 龍口粉絲 Longkou vermicelli March 2023 Px3 02.jpg | image2 = Grandes fleurs de pivoine.jpg | image3 = Daepa (Allium fistulosum).jpg | image6 = | image7 = | caption1 = Vermicelli of Longkou | caption2 = Peonies of Heze | caption3 = Scallions of Zhangqiu | caption4 = Vineyard near Mount Daze, Pingdu | caption5 = The 18th International Vegetable Sci-Tech Expo held in Shouguang, 2017 | caption6 = | caption7 = }}

Shandong is one of China's most important agricultural provinces. Its output value from farming, forestry, animal husbandry, by-products, and fisheries has consistently ranked first nationwide. The province is a major producer of grain, cotton, oilseeds, meat, eggs, and dairy. Shandong also has a highly developed agricultural industrialization system, and its agricultural exports have topped national rankings for decades.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yantai apples valued at ¥10.586 billion — Shandong ranks No. 1 in three national agricultural categories|url=http://sd.people.com.cn/n2/2016/0913/c356085-28997919.html|website=People's Daily|publisher=Dazhong Net|accessdate=2016-11-28|date=2016-09-13|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129144437/http://sd.people.com.cn/n2/2016/0913/c356085-28997919.html|archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref>

The province's grain crops are typically grown in two seasons: summer and autumn. Summer crops are dominated by winter wheat, while autumn crops include corn, sweet potatoes, soybeans, rice, millet, sorghum, and other minor grains. Among them, wheat, corn, and sweet potatoes are the province's three major staples.<ref name=sanong/>

Shouguang is known as the birthplace of modern solar-heated greenhouses in China and is the country's largest vegetable production and distribution center. It has been designated the "Hometown of Vegetables in China" by the State Council. Vegetables from Shouguang are distributed to over 200 large and medium-sized cities in more than 30 provinces and regions across China and are also exported to countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Russia.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Phoenix News, Shandong|title=The Vegetable Basket of China—Shouguang Vegetables|url=http://sd.ifeng.com/zt/tianye/xz/detail_2013_04/19/728296_0.shtml|accessdate=2017-01-10|date=2013-04-21|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112182417/http://sd.ifeng.com/zt/tianye/xz/detail_2013_04/19/728296_0.shtml|archivedate=2017-01-12}}</ref>

Shandong not only boasts abundant cultivated and livestock breeds, but also rich wild flora and fauna. In terms of plant resources, the province produces over 40 staple and cash crops such as wheat, corn, sweet potatoes, and peanuts, over 60 varieties of vegetables and melons, and more than 660 species of woody plants including fruit trees, tea, mulberry, and oak trees. There are over 1,350 species of wild economic plants, including those used for starch, oils, fibers, aromatic oils, tannins, medicinal uses, and natural pesticides.

In 2013, the following agricultural products were awarded the title of "Top 10 Geographical Indication Trademarks of Shandong": Zhanhua winter jujubes, Zhangqiu scallions, Rizhao green tea, Yantai apples, Jinxiang garlic, Rongcheng kelp, Pingyi honeysuckle, Jiaozhou cabbage, and Feicheng peaches.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rizhao green tea ranks third among Shandong's top 10 geographical indication trademarks|url=http://www.trademark.com.cn/soft/news/TmNews11508.htm|website=Guofang Trademark Net|publisher=Dazhong Net|accessdate=2017-01-10|date=2013-03-26|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113023321/http://www.trademark.com.cn/soft/news/TmNews11508.htm|archivedate=2017-01-13}}</ref>

Animal resources include over 10 types of domesticated livestock and poultry, 55 species of small and medium-sized mammals, and more than 270 species of birds (resident, summer migratory, winter migratory, and transit). There are also 563 species of beneficial predators to agricultural pests and 763 species of agricultural pests. Additionally, inland aquatic resources include more than 30 species of vascular aquatic plants and over 70 species of freshwater fish.<ref name=sanong>{{cite web|title=Overview of Agriculture in Shandong Province|url=http://www.shandongsannong.com/content-228003966153-2.htm|website=Shandong Agriculture Net|publisher=Shandong Agricultural Information Center|accessdate=2016-11-28|date=2011-05-14|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129161925/http://www.shandongsannong.com/content-228003966153-2.htm|archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref>

====Fishery==== [[File:龍口漁港.jpg|thumb|Fishing fleet at Longkou port|240x240px]] Fisheries are a traditional strength of Shandong's economy. In 2014, the province's total aquatic product output exceeded 9 million tons, with a total fishery output value of ¥360 billion, and over 12 million mu (about 800,000 hectares) of aquaculture area. Dominant marine aquaculture industries include sea cucumbers, kelp, prawns, flounder, sole, clams, and Chinese mitten crabs. Inland aquaculture is rapidly developing local specialties such as softshell turtles, Siniperca chuatsi, loach, and icefish.<ref name="卫计委">{{cite web|author1=卫计委|title=行业发展概况|url=http://www.hssd.gov.cn/jggk/hygk/201502/t20150205_551678.html|website=山东省海洋与渔业厅|accessdate=2018-03-14|date=2015-02-05}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==== Wine industry ==== {{See also|Wine in China}} thumb|right|Shandong coastal vineyards The production of wine is the second largest{{citation needed|date=September 2011}} industry in the Shandong Province, second only to agriculture.

Geographically, the coastal areas remain relatively flat. Most of the soil is loose, well-ventilated, and rich in minerals and organic matter that enable full development of the root systems.

Presently, there are more than 140 wineries in the region, mainly distributed in the Nanwang Grape Valley and the Yan-Peng Sightseeing Highway (both are in Yantai). The region produced more than 40% of China's grape wine production.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wines-info.com/Newshtml/200812/2282008123011241759.html|title=The wine output of Yantai will reach 230000 kiloliters in 2008|date=2008-12-30|publisher=China Wines Information Website|access-date=2009-06-28|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215013857/http://wines-info.com/Newshtml/200812/2282008123011241759.html}}</ref> Main varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay are all at 20 years of age, considered to be the golden stage for these grapes. Most of them maintain an average saccharinity of above 20%.

'''Major producers''' *Changyu Pioneer Wine Co. *China Great Wall Wine Co. Ltd.

=== Service sector=== In 2015, the tertiary sector (services) accounted for 45.3% of Shandong Province's total economic output.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yu |first=Xiaozhong |last2=Pan |first2=Linqing |last3=Yuan |first3=Junbao |date=28 December 2016 |title=山东经济结构迎二次"序变" 服务业成经济主引擎_投资_财经频道_齐鲁网 |url=http://caijing.iqilu.com/tzjq/2016/1228/3296242.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223041935/http://caijing.iqilu.com/tzjq/2016/1228/3296242.shtml |archive-date=2017-02-23 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=caijing.iqilu.com}}</ref> In 2012, the value-added of the service sector accounted for 40% of GDP. The value-added of the financial sector reached ¥201.9 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 19%; the real estate sector contributed ¥201.6 billion, up 6.5%; total revenue from tourism was ¥451.97 billion; and software business revenue from large-scale software enterprises amounted to ¥173.79 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东省服务业发展概况 |url=http://www.fdi.gov.cn/1800000121_21_45253_0_7.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129030426/http://www.fdi.gov.cn/1800000121_21_45253_0_7.html |archive-date=2016-11-29 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.fdi.gov.cn}}</ref> In 2015, the financial sector's value-added accounted for 5% of Shandong's GDP, and its contribution to local tax revenue reached 10.7%, making it one of the province's pillar industries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamed |first=Tarek |date=2023-07-17 |title=KJC |url=https://kjc79.com/ |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=kjc79.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=郭树清山东金改：金融业成山东支柱产业-搜狐财经 |trans-title=Guo Shuqing's Shandong Financial Reform: Financial Industry Becomes Pillar of Shandong's Economy |url=http://business.sohu.com/20161203/n474806158.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223043141/http://business.sohu.com/20161203/n474806158.shtml |archive-date=2017-02-23 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=business.sohu.com}}</ref> By 2018, the province's three-sector economic structure had adjusted to a ratio of 6.5:44.0:49.5 (primary:secondary:tertiary), with the service sector contributing 60% to overall economic growth.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shandong's Economy Maintained Steady Growth in 2018, Making Solid Progress in High-Quality Development|url=http://tjj.shandong.gov.cn/art/2019/1/29/art_6227_4589952.html|accessdate=2020-06-22|author=Shandong Provincial Bureau of Statistics & National Bureau of Statistics Shandong Survey Team|date=2019-01-29|archive-date=2020-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622224017/http://tjj.shandong.gov.cn/art/2019/1/29/art_6227_4589952.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Economic and technological development zones === ;Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone [[File:浪潮集團總部.jpg|thumb|Inspur Group in Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone|240x240px]] Founded in 1991, the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development zone was one of the first of its kind approved by the State Council. The zone is located to the east of the city and covers a total planning area of {{convert|83|km2|abbr=on}} that is divided into a central area covering {{convert|33|km2|abbr=on}}, an export processing district of {{convert|10|km2|abbr=on}}, and an eastern extension area of {{convert|40|km2|abbr=on}}. Since its foundation, the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone has attracted enterprises as LG, Panasonic, Volvo, and Sanyo. In 2000, it joined the world science and technology association and set up a China-Ukraine High-tech Cooperation Park. The Qilu Software Park became the sister park of Bangalore park of India.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} ;Jinan Export Processing Zone The export processing zone is located in the eastern suburbs of Jinan, east of the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone, and to the north of the Jiwang highway. The distances to the Jiqing Highway and the Jinan Airport are {{convert|9|and|18|km|abbr=on}} respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/jinan-export-processing-zone/|title=Ji'nan Export Processing Zone|date=n.d.|publisher=RightSite.Asia|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111195542/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/jinan-export-processing-zone/}}</ref> ; Qingdao Economic & Technological Development Area [[File:CR400AF-Z-0222 with prunus blossoms near Shijingshannan (20230315110124).jpg|thumb|CR400AF produced by CRRC Qingdao Sifang]] Approved by the State Council in October 1984, Qingdao Economic and Technical Development Zone has a plan of {{convert|12.5|km2|abbr=on}}. In 2004 the local GDP was ¥27.51 billion, which increased by 28.9%; the total industrial output value is ¥60.6 billion, which increased by 31%. There have been 48 projects invested by companies listed among the Global Fortune 500 in the zone. With the fast development of reform and opening-up, Haier, Hisense, Aucma, Sinopec, CSIC, CNOOC, CIMC etc. are all located in the zone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/qingdao-economic-and-technical-development-zone/|title=Qingdao Economic and Technical Development Zone|date=n.d.|publisher=RightSite.Asia|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207025643/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/qingdao-economic-and-technical-development-zone/}}</ref> ; Qingdao Free Trade Zone

The State Council established Qingdao Free Trade Zone in 1992. The zone is {{convert|60|km|abbr=on}} away from Qingdao Liuting Airport. It is also close to Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal. At present, more than 40 foreign-invested enterprises have moved in, and 2000 projects have been approved. It is one of the special economic areas which enjoys the most favorable investment policies on customs, foreign exchange, foreign trade, and taxation in China.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} ; Qingdao High-tech Industrial Zone

The State Council approved Qingdao High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in 1992. The zone is located close to Qingdao Liuting Airport and Qingdao Harbor. Encouraged industries include electronic information, biotechnology, medicine, new materials, new energy, advanced equipment manufacturing, marine science & technology, national defense technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/qingdao-hi-tech-industrial-development-zone/|title=Qingdao Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone|date=n.d.|publisher=RightSite.Asia|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120191025/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/qingdao-hi-tech-industrial-development-zone/}}</ref> ; Weifang Binhai Economic & Technological Development Area (BEDA) Established in August 1995, Weifang Binhai Economic & Technological Development Area (BEDA) is a national economic and technological development area approved by the State Council. Covering an area of {{convert|677|km2|abbr=on}}, BEDA has a population of 100,000. BEDA possesses a large state-owned industrial land for use with an area of {{convert|400|km2|abbr=on}}. The land can be transacted conveniently, guaranteeing the demand of any project construction and providing broad development space for the enterprises in the area. Continuously, BEDA has been accredited as National Demonstration Zone invigorating the Sea by Science and Technology, National Innovation Base for Rejuvenating Trade through Science and Technology and National Demonstration Eco-Industry Park. ;Weihai Economic & Technological Development Zone Weihai Economic and Technological Development Zone is a state-level development zone approved by the State Council on 21 Oct 1992. The administrative area has an area of {{convert|194|km2|abbr=on}}, including the programmed area of {{convert|36|km2|abbr=on}} and an initial area of {{convert|11.88|km2|abbr=on}}. Its nearest port is Weihai Port, and the airport closest to the zone is Wuhai Airport.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} ;Weihai Export Processing Zone Weihai Export & Processing Zone (EPZ) was set up by the approval of the State Council on 27 April 2000. Weihai EPZ is located in Weihai Economic & Technological Development Zone with programmed area of {{convert|2.6|km2|abbr=on}}. Weihai EPZ belongs to comprehensive export & processing zone. The EPZ is located {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} to Weihai Airport, {{convert|3|km|abbr=on}} to Weihai railway station and {{convert|4|km|abbr=on}} to Weihai Harbor.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} ;Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park is a state-level development zone approved by the State Council in March 1991. Located in Weihai's northwest zone of culture, education and science, the Park has the total area of {{convert|111.9|km2|sp=us}}, the coastal line of {{convert|30.5|km|sp=us}} and 150,000 residents. It is {{convert|3|km|abbr=on}} away from the city center, {{convert|4|km|abbr=on}} away from Weihai Port, {{convert|10|km|abbr=on}} away from Weihai railway station, {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} away from Weihai Airport and {{convert|80|km|abbr=on}} away from Yantai Airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/weihai-torch-hi-tech-science-park|title=Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park|date=n.d.|publisher=RightSite.Asia|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303203037/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/weihai-torch-hi-tech-science-park}}</ref> ; Yantai Economic and Technological Development Area Yantai Economic and Technological Development Area is one of the earliest approved state level economic development zones in China. It now has planned area of {{convert|10|km2|abbr=on}} and a population of 115,000. It lies on the tip of the Shandong Peninsula facing the Yellow Sea. It adjoins to downtown Yantai, merely {{convert|6|km|abbr=on}} away from Yantai Port, {{convert|6|km|abbr=on}} away from Yantai railway station, and a 30-minute drive to Yantai International Airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/yantai-economic-and-technological-development-area/|title=Yantai Economic and Technological Development Area|date=n.d.|publisher=RightSide.Asia|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209052642/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/yantai-economic-and-technological-development-area/}}</ref> ; Yantai Export Processing Zone Yantai Export Processing Zone (YTEPZ) is one of the first 15 export processing zones approved by the State Council. The total construction area of YTEPZ is {{convert|4.17|m2|abbr=on}}, in which the initial zone covers {{convert|3|km2|abbr=on}}. After developing for several years, YTEPZ is completely constructed. At present, the infrastructure has been completed, standard workshops of {{convert|120,000|m2|sqyd|abbr=on}} and bonded warehouses of {{convert|40,000|m2|abbr=on}} have been built up. Up to now, owning perfect investment environment and conditions, YTEPZ has attracted investors both from foreign countries and regions such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sweden, the United States, Canada, etc., and from the domestic to invest and operate in the zone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/yantai-export-processing-zone/|title=Yantai Export Processing Zone|date=n.d.|publisher=RightSite.Asia|access-date=2022-08-09|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510115040/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/yantai-export-processing-zone}}</ref> ; Zibo National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

== Demographics == {{See also|Shandong people}}{{Historical populations |title = Historical population |footnote = Qingdao was part of Shandong Province until 1929; dissolved in 1949 and incorporated into Shandong Province. Weihai, also known as Weihaiwei. Established in 1930, dissolved in 1945, and incorporated into Shandong Province. |1912<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo2.html|title=付表2 1912年中国人口（統計）|date=n.d.|publisher=ier.hit-u.ac.jp|access-date=2014-03-06|language=ja|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032922/http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |30,989,000 |1928<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo3.htm|title=付表3 1928年中国人口（統計）|date=n.d.|publisher=ier.hit-u.ac.jp|access-date=2014-03-06|language=ja|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032924/http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> |28,672,000 |1936-37<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo4.htm|title=付表4 1936-37年の中国人口（統計）|date=n.d.|publisher=ier.hit-u.ac.jp|access-date=2014-03-06|language=ja|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032925/http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo4.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>|38,100,000 |1947<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo5.htm|title=付表5 1947年全国人口（統計）|date=n.d.|publisher=ier.hit-u.ac.jp|access-date=2014-03-06|language=ja|archive-date=13 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130913053600/http://www.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/COE/Japanese/discussionpapers/DP97.9/fhyo5.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>|38,865,000 |1954<ref name="census1954">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16767.htm|title=中华人民共和国国家统计局关于第一次全国人口调查登记结果的公报|date=n.d.|publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China|access-date=2014-03-06|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805174810/http://www.stats.gov.cn/TJGB/RKPCGB/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16767.htm|language=zh}}</ref>|48,876,548 |1964<ref name="census1964">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16768.htm|title=第二次全国人口普查结果的几项主要统计数字|date=n.d.|publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China|access-date=2014-03-06|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914173158/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16768.htm|language=zh}}</ref>|55,519,038 |1982<ref name="census1982">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16769.htm|title=中华人民共和国国家统计局关于一九八二年人口普查主要数字的公报|date=n.d.|publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China|access-date=2014-03-06|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510075429/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16769.htm|language=zh}}</ref> |74,419,054 |1990<ref name="census1990">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16772.htm|title=中华人民共和国国家统计局关于一九九○年人口普查主要数据的公报|date=n.d.|publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China|access-date=2014-03-06|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-06-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619002216/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020404_16772.htm|language=zh}}</ref> |84,392,827 |2000<ref name="census2000">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020331_15435.htm|title=现将2000年第五次全国人口普查快速汇总的人口地区分布数据公布如下|date=n.d.|publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China|access-date=2014-03-06|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829052024/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/t20020331_15435.htm|language=zh}}</ref> |89,971,789 |2010<ref name="census2010">{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/newsandcomingevents/t20110429_402722516.htm|title=Communiqué of the National Bureau of Statistics of People's Republic of China on Major Figures of the 2010 Population Census[1] (No. 2)|date=2011-04-29|publisher=National Bureau of Statistics of China|access-date=2014-03-06|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727021210/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/newsandcomingevents/t20110429_402722516.htm}}</ref>|95,793,065 |2020|101,527,453 }} Accurate population statistics for Shandong Province began during the Han dynasty, and its development since then can be divided into four stages. In 2 AD, the population in the area of present-day Shandong Province was over 12 million, and it exceeded 30 million for the first time by 1830—this was the first stage. From 1841 to 1949, the second stage, the population of Shandong grew steadily, reaching 45 million by 1949. During the 1950s and 1960s, Shandong experienced rapid population growth, followed by family planning policies in the 1970s and 1980s. By 1988, the population reached over 80 million.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东省志·人口志|loc=人口变动}}</ref> According to the 2010 national census, the permanent population of Shandong was 95.7931 million. In 2015, 1.2358 million people were born, and the year-end permanent population reached 98.4716 million. Among them, the 0–14 age group accounted for 16.62% of the total population, the 15–64 age group accounted for 71.17%, and those aged 65 and over accounted for 12.21%. With a population of more than 101,527,453 at the 2020 Chinese census, the permanent population of Shandong exceeded 100 million, ranking second in China after Guangdong Province and slightly ahead of Henan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=chinanews |title=山东常住人口首次过亿成中国第二人口大省-中新网 |url=https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2018/02-02/8439958.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209182306/https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2018/02-02/8439958.shtml |archive-date=2018-02-09 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.chinanews.com}}</ref>

According to the 2010 national census, 8.3287 million people had attained a university level of education, 13.3226 million had a high school education, 38.4682 million had a junior high school education, and 23.9124 million had a primary school education. The illiterate population was 4.7573 million, with an illiteracy rate of 4.97%. Shandong has achieved a high level of compulsory education: in 2016, the net enrollment rate for primary school-age children was 99.97%, and the retention rate for compulsory education was 97.2%.<ref name="教育公报">{{cite web |date=2018-11-20 |title=2016年山东省教育事业发展统计公报 |url=http://edu.shandong.gov.cn/art/2018/11/20/art_107070_7734345.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807073656/http://edu.shandong.gov.cn/art/2018/11/20/art_107070_7734345.html |archive-date=2022-08-07 |accessdate=2018-11-28 |website=山东省教育厅 |url-status=live}}</ref>

By the end of 2014, there were 2.615 million people aged over 80 in the province, and 5,932 people aged over 100. The average life expectancy was 73.42 years in 2000, 76.46 years in 2010, and was projected to reach 78 years in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |author1=郭学军 |date=2016-06-27 |title=今年山东老人平均寿命达到78岁百岁老人菏泽最多 |url=http://sd.dzwww.com/sdnews/201606/t20160627_14523954.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220040856/http://sd.dzwww.com/sdnews/201606/t20160627_14523954.htm |archivedate=2016-12-20 |accessdate=2016-12-03 |website=大众网 |publisher=生活日报 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, Laizhou was recognized by the China Gerontological Society as a "Longevity Town of China". It was the tenth such town in China, the first in Shandong Province, and also the first in Northern China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东莱州跻身中国十大长寿之乡行列 |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2009-05/22/content_11418543.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305061846/http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2009-05/22/content_11418543.htm |archive-date=2017-03-05 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=news.xinhuanet.com}}</ref>

Among the 16 prefecture-level cities, two had populations exceeding 10 million: Linyi with 11.018 million, and Qingdao with 10.072 million. Among the total resident population, 51.433 million were male (50.66%) and 50.095 million were female (49.34%). The overall sex ratio was 102.67, and the birth sex ratio was 111.95. The population aged 0–14 was 19.063 million (18.78%), those aged 15–59 were 61.244 million (60.32%), and those aged 60 and over were 21.221 million (20.90%), of whom 15.364 million (15.13%) were aged 65 and above. Among the total resident population, 14.603 million had a college education or above, and 14.553 million had a high school education (including technical secondary school). The average years of schooling among the population aged 15 and above was 9.75 years, and the illiteracy rate was 3.26%. 64.014 million people lived in urban areas (63.05%), while 37.513 million lived in rural areas (36.95%).<ref>{{cite web |author1=山东省第七次全国人口普查领导小组办公室 |title=山东省第七次全国人口普查主要数据情况 |url=http://tjj.shandong.gov.cn/art/2021/5/21/art_6109_10287502.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522101222/http://tjj.shandong.gov.cn/art/2021/5/21/art_6109_10287502.html |archive-date=2021-05-22 |accessdate=2021-05-21 |website=山东省统计局 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Shandong citizens are also known to have the tallest average height of any Chinese province. As of 2010, 16-18-year-old male students in Yantai measured {{convert|176.4|cm|ftin}} while female students measured {{convert|164|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chuansong.me/n/1265599252384|title=山东18岁男女平均身高出炉！烟台人竟然5年前就完爆这一数据！|date=2016-08-12|publisher=Chuan Song|access-date=2018-04-29|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429155256/http://chuansong.me/n/1265599252384|language=zh}}</ref>

; Total population of Shandong by year <timeline> Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.7)

ImageSize = width:1000 height:350 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:30 top:30 right:50 DateFormat = x.y Period =from:0 till:110000000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50000000 start:50000000 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:white increment:250000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo

BarData= bar:1833 bar:1834 bar:1835 bar:1836 bar:1837 bar:1838 bar:1839 bar:1840 text:1840 bar:1841 bar:1842 bar:1843 bar:1844 bar:1845 bar:1846 bar:1847 bar:1848 bar:1849 bar:1850 bar:1851 text:1851 bar:1852 bar:1853 bar:1854 bar:1855 bar:1856 bar:1857 bar:1858 bar:1859 bar:1860 bar:1861 bar:1862 text:1862 bar:1863 bar:1864 bar:1865 bar:1866 bar:1867 bar:1868 bar:1869 bar:1870 bar:1871 bar:1872 text:1872 bar:1873 bar:1874 bar:1875 bar:1876 bar:1877 bar:1878 bar:1879 bar:1880 bar:1881 bar:1882 bar:1883 bar:1884 bar:1885 bar:1886 bar:1887 bar:1888 bar:1889 bar:1890 bar:1891 bar:1892 bar:1893 bar:1894 bar:1895 bar:1896 bar:1897 bar:1898 text:1898 bar:1899 bar:1900 bar:1901 bar:1902 bar:1903 bar:1904 bar:1905 bar:1906 bar:1907 bar:1908 bar:1909 bar:1910 bar:1911 bar:1912 text:1912 bar:1913 bar:1914 bar:1915 bar:1916 bar:1917 bar:1918 bar:1919 bar:1920 bar:1921 bar:1922 bar:1923 bar:1924 bar:1925 bar:1926 bar:1927 bar:1928 text:1928 bar:1929 bar:1930 bar:1931 bar:1932 bar:1933 bar:1934 bar:1935 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1937 bar:1938 bar:1939 bar:1940 bar:1941 bar:1942 bar:1943 bar:1944 bar:1945 bar:1946 bar:1947 text:1947 bar:1948 bar:1949 bar:1950 bar:1951 bar:1952 bar:1953 bar:1954 text:1954 bar:1955 bar:1956 bar:1957 bar:1958 bar:1959 bar:1960 bar:1961 bar:1962 bar:1963 bar:1964 text:1964 bar:1965 bar:1966 bar:1967 bar:1968 bar:1969 bar:1970 bar:1971 bar:1972 bar:1973 bar:1974 bar:1975 bar:1976 bar:1977 bar:1978 bar:1979 bar:1980 bar:1981 bar:1982 text:1982 bar:1983 bar:1984 bar:1983 bar:1986 bar:1987 bar:1988 bar:1989 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:1991 bar:1992 bar:1993 bar:1994 bar:1995 bar:1996 bar:1997 bar:1998 bar:1999 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2001 bar:2002 bar:2003 bar:2004 bar:2005 bar:2006 bar:2007 bar:2008 bar:2009 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2011 bar:2012 bar:2013 bar:2014 bar:2015 bar:2016 bar:2017 bar:2018 bar:2019 bar:2020 text:2020

PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1840 from:0 till: 32460000 bar:1851 from:0 till: 33000000 bar:1862 from:0 till: 34000000 bar:1872 from:0 till: 35000000 bar:1898 from:0 till: 37789000 bar:1912 from:0 till: 30989000 bar:1928 from:0 till: 28672000 bar:1936 from:0 till: 38100000 bar:1947 from:0 till: 38865000 bar:1954 from:0 till: 48876548 bar:1964 from:0 till: 55519038 bar:1982 from:0 till: 74419054 bar:1990 from:0 till: 84392827 bar:2000 from:0 till: 89971789 bar:2010 from:0 till: 95793065 bar:2020 from:0 till: 101527453 </timeline>

=== Ethnicity === As of March 2015, there were 55 ethnic minority groups in Shandong Province, with a total resident population of 720,000, accounting for 0.75% of the province's total population. Among them, the Hui ethnic group numbered 540,000, accounting for 75% of the total ethnic minority population in the province. There are four Hui townships in the province, they are town of Jinling, Zibo, town of Shiliwang, Dezhou, town of Zhanglu, Liaocheng, and town of Houji, Heze.<ref>{{cite web|title=山东省四个民族乡镇及简介|url=http://www.sdmw.gov.cn/channels/ch00247/201608/bf61de85-f69d-47d0-9c47-42884079a49c.shtml|website=山东民族宗教|accessdate=2016-12-01|date=2016-05-24|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201213411/http://www.sdmw.gov.cn/channels/ch00247/201608/bf61de85-f69d-47d0-9c47-42884079a49c.shtml|archivedate=2016-12-01}}</ref>

On 21 May 2021, the main data of the seventh national population census in Shandong Province was released. The data showed that the total resident population was 101.527 million, of which 100.622 million were Han Chinese, accounting for 99.11%, and 905,000 were ethnic minorities, accounting for 0.89%.

In addition, there are considerable Korean diaspora in Shandong; for example, Qingdao has a Korean population of over 100,000, accounting for about 7.19% of total Koreans in China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-12 |title=深度调查丨青岛住着10万韩国人,背后有你不知道的秘密 |url=http://www.sohu.com/a/75086387_368682 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331104544/http://www.sohu.com/a/75086387_368682 |archive-date=2018-03-31 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.sohu.com}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |+Ethnic groups in Shandong according to the 2020 Chinese census<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东民族宗教 |url=http://mzw.shandong.gov.cn/channels/ch02056/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327041257/http://mzw.shandong.gov.cn/channels/ch02056/ |archive-date=27 March 2025 |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=mzw.shandong.gov.cn |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=山东省统计局普查公报山东省第七次全国人口普查主要数据情况 |url=http://tjj.shandong.gov.cn/art/2021/5/21/art_6293_10287509.html |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=tjj.shandong.gov.cn}}</ref> !Ethnicity !Male !Female !Total population !Percentage |- |Han |50,981,231 |49,641,263 |100,622,494 |99.109% |- |Hui |279,413 |272,802 |552,215 |0.544% |- |Mongol |19,360 |18,294 |37,654 |0.037% |- |Zang (Tibetan) |1,851 |2,501 |4,352 |0.004% |- |Other ethnic groups |151,076 |159,662 |310,738 |0.003% |- |Total |51,432,931 |50,094,522 |101,527,453 |100% |}

===Religion=== {{Pie chart |caption = Religion in Shandong<ref name="Wang2015">{{cite thesis|last=Wang|first=Xiuhua|date=2015|title=Explaining Christianity in China: Why a Foreign Religion has Taken Root in Unfertile Ground|type=Master's thesis|chapter=Four|publisher=Baylor University|page=15|chapter-url=https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2104/9326/WANG-THESIS-2015.pdf?sequence=1|access-date=2022-08-09|archive-date=9 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809081949/https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2104/9326/WANG-THESIS-2015.pdf?sequence=1|url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|The data was collected by the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) of 2009 and by the Chinese Spiritual Life Survey (CSLS) of 2007, reported and assembled by Xiuhua Wang (2015)<ref name="Wang2015" /> in order to confront the proportion of people identifying with two similar social structures: ① Christian churches, and ② the traditional Chinese religion of the lineage (i.e. people believing and worshipping ancestral deities often organised into lineage "churches" and ancestral shrines). Data for other religions with a significant presence in China (deity cults, Buddhism, Taoism, folk religious sects, Islam, et al.) was not reported by Wang. The number of Muslims is taken from a survey reported in the year 2010.<ref name="2010-Islam" />}} |label1 = Chinese ancestral religion |value1 = 25.28 |color1 = FireBrick |label2 = Christianity |value2 = 1.21 |color2 = DodgerBlue |label3 = Islam |value3 = 0.55 |color3 = Green |label4 = Other religions or not religious people{{refn|group=note|This may include: * Buddhists * Confucians * Deity worshippers * Taoists * Members of folk religious sects * People not bounded to, nor practicing any, institutional or diffuse religion}} |value4 = 70.05 |color4 = Honeydew }} The predominant religions in Shandong are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 25,28% of the population believes in ancestor veneration, while 1.21% of the population identifies as Christian, decreasing from 1.30% in 2004.<ref name="Wang2015" /> The Christians were 1.89% of the province's population in 1949, the largest proportion in China at that time.<ref name="Wang2015" /> According to a survey of the year 2010, Muslims constitute 0.55% of Shandong's population up from 0.14% in 1949.<ref name="2010-Islam">{{cite journal|author=Min Junqing|date=2010|title=The Present Situation and Characteristics of Contemporary Islam in China|url=http://www.cismor.jp/uploads-images/sites/3/2014/03/The-Present-Situation-and-Characteristics-of-Contemporary-Islam-in-China.pdf|journal=JISMOR|access-date=2022-08-09|page=29|archive-date=9 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809081949/http://www.cismor.jp/uploads-images/sites/3/2014/03/The-Present-Situation-and-Characteristics-of-Contemporary-Islam-in-China.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Yang Zongde|date=2010|title=Study on Current Muslim Population in China|journal=Jinan Muslim|number=2}}</ref>

The reports did not give figures for other types of religion; 80.05% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and folk religious sects. Shandong is the province where Confucius was born in the year 551 B.C.

The most well-known religion and/or philosophy of Shandong is Confucianism. Shandong is the birthplace of Confucius and his disciples such as Mencius, Zisi, Zengzi, and Yan Hui. Each year thousands of people come to Shandong to visit and learn about Confucius' culture. According to Chinese tradition, Confucius was a thinker, political figure, educator, and founder of the Confucianism of Chinese thought. His teachings, preserved in the Lunyu or Analects, form the foundation of much of subsequent Chinese speculation on the ideal man's education and comportment, how such an individual should live his life and interact with others, and the forms of society and government in which he should participate. Confucius also helped edit The Five Classics (五經), which include ''Classic of Poetry'', ''Book of Documents'', ''Book of Rites'', ''I Ching'', and ''Spring and Autumn Annals''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/|title=Confucius|date=2020-03-31|last=Csikszentmihalyi|first=Mark|publisher=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|access-date=2022-08-09|archive-date=20 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520162525/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/confuciu/|title=Confucius (551—479 B.C.E.)|date=n.d.|last=Richey|first=Jeff|publisher=Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy|access-date=2016-12-07|archive-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119232030/http://www.iep.utm.edu/confuciu/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Taoism also has had a significant historical presence in Shandong, a province rich in religious and philosophical traditions. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Taoist practices flourished in the province, especially in the sacred Mount Tai, which has long been a center for Taoist pilgrimage and ritual. Taoist priests performed ceremonies there to communicate with the heavens and seek blessings for peace and prosperity. There are numerous Taoist temples, such as the Dai Temple at the foot of Mount Tai built during the Song dynasty. The coast part is associated with Taoist culture such as master Qiu Chuji and Eight Immortals.

Due to the presence of Hui people (also called Muslim Han people), there are several mosques in western Shandong. The history of Chrisitanity in Shandong began in the 1860s, when Qing government opened Chefoo. The most influential churches are Southern Baptist Convention, American Presbyterian Church, BMS World Mission and Society of the Divine Word. However, after the communist took power, foreign missionaries and clergies were expelled and the Christian church was suppressed. Today there are roughly 1.5 million Christians in Shandong; the exact number is hard to get, because there are a large number of people affiliated to home church.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asia Harvest |url=https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/cn/shandong/the-future-of-the-church-in-shandong |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.asiaharvest.org |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%"> 廣饒關帝廟大殿.JPG|Temple of Guandi in Guangrao; built in 1028, making it the oldest extant wooden building in the province 20240730 Qingdao Tian Hou Gong 01.jpg|Temple of Mazu in Shinan File:碧霞元君像.jpg|Statue of Bixia Yuanjun of Mount Tai, a Taoist goddess The sea in Penglai Court.jpg|Penglai, where Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea said to take place File:The_South_Mosque_of_Jinan_2009-03.JPG|South Mosque of Jinan, an Islamic place of worship File:濟南洪樓教堂.jpg|Hongjialou Catholic Church in Licheng File:平度茶山风景区–般若寺.jpg|Buddhist Banruo Temple in Pingdu File:孔庙祭孔大典 3.jpg|Temple of Confucius in Qufu during a sacrificial ceremony Jiaxiang Zeng Miao 2015.08.14 10-25-33.jpg|Temple of Zengzi in Jiaxiang, which is dedicated to Zengzi </gallery>

==Administrative divisions== {{main|List of administrative divisions of Shandong|List of township-level divisions of Shandong}} {{seealso|List of cities in China}}

=== Historical divisions === [[File:Shandong in the Qin Dynasty.svg|250px|thumb|right|The commandery-county system of the Qin dynasty, the basis of modern administrative divisions in Shandong]]

During the Qin dynasty, the commandery-county system was implemented in Shandong. In the Han dynasty, two provinces (first-level divisions) were established in what is now Shandong: Qing Province in the north and Yan Province in the south.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东通史·秦汉卷|loc=典志政区}}</ref> Most of Shandong belonged to Henan Circuit during the Tang dynasty. In the Northern Song dynasty, the area was part of the Jingdong Circuit, which was later split into Jingdong East Circuit and Jingdong West Circuit. In the eighth year of the Dading reign of the Jin dynasty (1168), the military command offices of Shandong East Circuit and Shandong West Circuit were established. The term "Shandong" thus came into use as a formal administrative name.

In the Ming dynasty, the province of Shandong was established, later renamed the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission (山東等處承宣布政使司), with its seat in Jinan Prefecture. Jinan has since remained the provincial capital. The Shandong Administration Commission governed 6 prefectures, 15 sub-prefectures (''zhou''s), and 89 counties.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东通史·明清卷|loc=一政区与户口；三兵制}}</ref>

During the Qing dynasty, the Shandong Administration Commission was renamed Shandong Province, and its highest official was the Provincial Governor (''Xunfu''). The province was divided into circuits (''dao''), prefectures (''zhou'' and ''fu''), and counties (''xian'').<ref>{{cite book|author1=傅林祥|author2=林涓|author3=任玉雪|author4=王卫东|editor=周振鹤|title=中国行政区划通史（清代卷）|date=2013-10-01|publisher=复旦大学出版社|isbn=9787309056037|edition=First}}</ref> Additionally, some counties such as Qingyun County, Ningjin County, and Dongming County in Zhili Province (present-day Hebei) are now part of Shandong. thumb|Map of Shandong in 1917 After the founding of the Republic of China in 1912, the Shandong Province initially retained the Qing administrative system. In 1913, the Beijing government abolished the prefectures and sub-prefectures, instituting the dao–county system. In 1927, the Nanjing government abolished the dao level, placing counties directly under provincial jurisdiction. In 1932, administrative inspectorates were established below the provincial level, functioning as provincial extensions. This marked the formal establishment of administrative inspectorate districts.<ref name="cnr">{{Cite web |title=元明清时期的山东政区 |url=http://www.cnr.cn/home/column/ml/sh/200504080332.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307065646/http://www.cnr.cn/home/column/ml/sh/200504080332.html |archive-date=2016-03-07 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.cnr.cn}}</ref>

In 1950, three administrative regions were abolished, reducing 16 prefectures to 11. In 1952, Pingyuan Province was dissolved; its eastern part was incorporated into Shandong. At the same time, five counties from Hebei Province were transferred to Shandong, while some counties under Shandong's jurisdiction were reassigned to Hebei and Jiangsu.

In 1967, prefectures (专区) were renamed regions (地区), and the province then had 9 regions including Dezhou, Huimin, and Changwei, as well as four provincial cities: Jinan, Qingdao, Zibo, and Zaozhuang.

On 26 December 2018, the State Council officially approved the administrative adjustment of Laiwu under Jinan's jurisdiction, abolishing Laiwu as a separate prefecture-level city and merging its territory into Jinan. As a result, the province now comprises 16 prefecture-level cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2019-01/09/c_1123965998.htm|title=State Council approves adjustment of Jinan and Laiwu administrative divisions in Shandong Province|website=Xinhua|accessdate=2019-01-09|archive-date=2019-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109100134/http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2019-01/09/c_1123965998.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Current divisions === Shandong is divided into 16 prefecture-level divisions: all prefecture-level cities (including two sub-provincial cities). On 1 January 2019, Laiwu was wholly annexed to Jinan:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center" |+Administrative divisions of Shandong |- | colspan="9" | <div style="position: relative" class="center"> {{Image label begin|image=Administrative Division Shandong.svg|width=790|link=}} {{Image label|x=470|y=440|scale=790/1580|text='''Jinan'''}} {{Image label|x=1070|y=490|scale=790/1580|text='''Qingdao'''}} {{Image label|x=640|y=430|scale=790/1580|text='''Zibo'''}} {{Image label|x=480|y=865|scale=790/1580|text='''Zaozhuang'''}} {{Image label|x=725|y=210|scale=790/1580|text='''Dongying'''}} {{Image label|x=1180|y=300|scale=790/1580|text='''Yantai'''}} {{Image label|x=820|y=470|scale=790/1580|text='''Weifang'''}} {{Image label|x=370|y=745|scale=790/1580|text='''Jining'''}} {{Image label|x=435|y=600|scale=790/1580|text='''Tai'an'''}} {{Image label|x=1420|y=320|scale=790/1580|text='''Weihai'''}} {{Image label|x=840|y=710|scale=790/1580|text='''Rizhao'''}} {{Image label|x=660|y=770|scale=790/1580|text='''Linyi'''}} {{Image label|x=350|y=290|scale=790/1580|text='''Dezhou'''}} {{Image label|x=180|y=490|scale=790/1580|text='''Liaocheng'''}} {{Image label|x=565|y=220|scale=790/1580|text='''Binzhou'''}} {{Image label|x=160|y=810|scale=790/1580|text='''Heze'''}} {{Image label end}} </div> |- !! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Division code<ref>{{cite web|language=zh-hans|url=http://files2.mca.gov.cn/cws/201502/20150225163817214.html|title=2014年12月中华人民共和国县以上行政区划代码|date=n.d.|publisher=Ministry of Civil Affairs|access-date=2022-08-09|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113603/http://files2.mca.gov.cn/cws/201502/20150225163817214.html|url-status=live}}</ref> !! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Division !! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Area in km2<ref name="nj2013">{{cite book|title=深圳统计年鉴2014|language=zh|url=http://www.sztj.gov.cn/nj2014/indexce.htm|publisher=China Statistics Print|date=2014|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512184740/http://www.sztj.gov.cn/nj2014/indexce.htm}}</ref> !! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Population (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东省第七次全国人口普查公报（第二号） |trans-title=Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census of Shandong Province (No. 2) |url=http://tjj.shandong.gov.cn/art/2021/5/21/art_6293_10287511.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Shandong Provincial Bureau of Statistics |language=zh}}</ref> !! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Seat !! scope="col" colspan="3" | Divisions<ref>{{cite book|title=中国民政统计年鉴2014|language=zh|author=Ministry of Civil Affairs|publisher=China Statistics Print|date=2014}}</ref> |- !! scope="col" width="45" | Districts !! scope="col" width="45" | Counties !! scope="col" width="45" | CL cities |- ! 370000 !! Shandong Province | 157,100.00 || 101,527,453 || Jinan city || 58 || 52 || 26 |- bgcolor="#98fb98" ! 370100 !! Jinan city | 10,247.01 || 9,202,432 || Lixia District || 10 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| |- bgcolor="#98fb98" ! 370200 !! Qingdao city | 11,175.30 || 10,071,722 || Shinan District || 7 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 3 |- ! 370300 !! Zibo city | 5,965.17 || 4,704,138 || Zhangdian District || 5 || 3 ||bgcolor="grey"| |- ! 370400 !! Zaozhuang city | 4,563.22 || 3,855,601 || Xuecheng District || 5 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 1 |- ! 370500 !! Dongying city | 7,923.26 || 2,193,518 || Dongying District || 3 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| |- ! 370600 !! Yantai city | 13,746.47 || 7,102,116 || Laishan District || 5 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 6 |- ! 370700 !! Weifang city | 16,143.14 || 9,386,705 || Kuiwen District || 4 || 2 || 6 |- ! 370800 !! Jining city | 11,186.98 || 8,357,897 || Rencheng District || 2 || 7 || 2 |- ! 370900 !! Tai'an city | 7,761.83 || 5,472,217 || Taishan District || 2 || 2 || 2 |- ! 371000 !! Weihai city | 5,796.98 || 2,906,548 || Huancui District || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 2 |- ! 371100 !! Rizhao city | 5,347.99 || 2,968,365 || Donggang District || 2 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| |- ! 371300 !! Linyi city | 17,191.21 || 11,018,365 || Lanshan District || 3 || 9 ||bgcolor="grey"| |- ! 371400 !! Dezhou city | 10,356.32 || 5,611,194 || Decheng District || 2 || 7 || 2 |- ! 371500 !! Liaocheng city | 8,714.57 || 5,952,128 || Dongchangfu District || 2 || 5 || 1 |- ! 371600 !! Binzhou city | 9,444.65 || 3,928,568 || Bincheng District || 2 || 4 || 1 |- ! 371700 !! Heze city | 12,193.85 || 8,795,939 || Mudan District || 2 || 7 ||bgcolor="grey"| |- | colspan = "12" | {{legend|#98FB98|Sub-provincial cities|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} |}

{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed" style="width:auto; text-align:center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" ! colspan="5" |Administrative divisions in Chinese and varieties of romanizations |- ! English !! Chinese !! Pinyin |- | '''Shandong Province''' || {{lang|zh|山东省}} || '''Shāndōng Shěng''' |- | Jinan city || {{lang|zh|济南市}} || Jǐnán Shì |- | Qingdao city || {{lang|zh|青岛市}} || Qīngdǎo Shì |- | Zibo city || {{lang|zh|淄博市}} || Zībó Shì |- | Zaozhuang city || {{lang|zh|枣庄市}} || Zǎozhuāng Shì |- | Dongying city || {{lang|zh|东营市}} || Dōngyíng Shì |- | Yantai city || {{lang|zh|烟台市}} || Yāntái Shì |- | Weifang city || {{lang|zh|潍坊市}} || Wéifāng Shì |- | Jining city || {{lang|zh|济宁市}} || Jǐníng Shì |- | Tai'an city || {{lang|zh|泰安市}} || Tài'ān Shì |- | Weihai city || {{lang|zh|威海市}} || Wēihǎi Shì |- | Rizhao city || {{lang|zh|日照市}} || Rìzhào Shì |- | Linyi city || {{lang|zh|临沂市}} || Línyí Shì |- | Dezhou city || {{lang|zh|德州市}} || Dézhōu Shì |- | Liaocheng city || {{lang|zh|聊城市}} || Liáochéng Shì |- | Binzhou city || {{lang|zh|滨州市}} || Bīnzhōu Shì |- | Heze city || {{lang|zh|菏泽市}} || Hézé Shì |}

The 16 prefecture-level cities of Shandong are subdivided into 137 county-level divisions (55 districts, 26 county-level cities, and 56 counties). Those are in turn divided into 1941 township-level divisions (1223 towns, 293 townships, two ethnic townships, and 423 subdistricts).

As of 2023, the province's urbanization rate reached approximately 64.2% (with 65.55 million people reside in cities), slightly below the national average but showing consistent growth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=去年山东常住人口城镇化率达64.54%_地方动态_中国政府网 |url=https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/2023-04/21/content_5752520.htm |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=www.gov.cn}}</ref> Shandong features a comprehensive multi-centered urban system with 16 prefecture-level cities, including Jinan, the provincial capital and a key administrative and transportation hub, and Qingdao, a major coastal city with a strong port economy and international presence. The province has made notable progress in narrowing the urban-rural divide through policies promoting integrated development, rural infrastructure extension, and the growth of small towns and county-level cities.

{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible" |+ Population by urban areas of prefecture & county cities |- !#!!City!!style ="background-color: #aaaaff;"|Urban area<ref name ="2010PRCcensus"/>!!style ="background-color: #aaffaa;"|District area<ref name ="2010PRCcensus"/>!!style ="background-color: #ffaaaa;"|City total<ref name ="2010PRCcensus">{{cite book|title=中国2010年人口普查分县资料|language=zh|author=国务院人口普查办公室、国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司编|publisher=China Statistics Print|date=2012|isbn=978-7-5037-6659-6}}</ref>!!Census date |- |1||'''Jinan'''{{efn|name=Jinan|Laiwu PLC is currently no longer exist after census it merged with Jinan in 2019. Laiwu PLC's districts merged after census: Laiwu (Laicheng), Gangcheng; and new districts established after census: Zhangqiu (Zhangqiu CLC), Jiyang (Jiyang County). Laiwu PLC's districts and the new districts not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||3,527,566||4,335,989||8,396,142||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(1)||Jinan {{small|(new districts)}}{{efn|name=Jinan}}||1,261,040||2,880,687||{{small|''see Jinan''}}||2010-11-01 |- |2||Qingdao{{efn|name=Qingdao|New district established after census: Jimo (Jimo CLC); Jiaonan CLC merged into Xihai'an (Huangdao) after census. The new district and annexed area not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||3,519,919||3,718,835||8,715,087||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(2)||Qingdao {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Qingdao}}||1,036,158||2,045,549||{{small|''see Qingdao''}}||2010-11-01 |- |3||Zibo||2,261,717||3,129,228||4,530,597||2010-11-01 |- |4||Yantai||1,797,861||2,227,733||6,968,202||2010-11-01 |- |5||Linyi||1,522,488||2,303,648||10,039,440||2010-11-01 |- |6||Weifang||1,261,582||2,044,028||9,086,241||2010-11-01 |- |7||Tai'an||1,123,541||1,735,425||5,494,207||2010-11-01 |- |8||Zaozhuang||980,893||2,125,481||3,729,140||2010-11-01 |- |9||Jining{{efn|name=Jining|New district established after census: Yanzhou (Yanzhou CLC). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||939,034||1,241,012||8,081,905||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(9)||Jining {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Jining}}||388,449||618,394||{{small|''see Jining''}}||2010-11-01 |- |10||Rizhao||902,272||1,320,578||2,801,013||2010-11-01 |- |11||Dongying{{efn|name=Dongying|New district established after census: Kenli (Kenli County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||848,958||1,004,271||2,035,338||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(11)||Dongying {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Dongying}}||114,073||242,292||{{small|''see Dongying''}}||2010-11-01 |- |12||Tengzhou||783,473||1,603,659||{{small|''see Zaozhuang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |13||Weihai{{efn|name=Weihai|New district established after census: Wendeng (Wendeng CLC). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||698,863||844,310||2,804,771||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(13)||Weihai {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Weihai}}||310,628||673,625||{{small|''see Weihai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |14||Xintai||672,207||1,315,942||{{small|''see Tai'an''}}||2010-11-01 |- |- |15||Liaocheng||606,366||1,229,768||5,789,863||2010-11-01 |- |16||Zhucheng||586,652||1,086,222||{{small|''see Weifang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |17||Heze{{efn|name=Heze|New district established after census: Dingtao (Dingtao County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||559,636||1,346,717||8,287,693||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(17)||Heze {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Heze}}||166,037||565,793||{{small|''see Heze''}}||2010-11-01 |- |18||Dezhou{{efn|name=Dezhou|New district established after census: Lingcheng (Lingxian County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||526,232||679,535||5,568,235||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(18)||Dezhou {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Dezhou}}||170,317||569,007||{{small|''see Dezhou''}}||2010-11-01 |- |19||Zoucheng||513,418||1,116,692||{{small|''see Jining''}}||2010-11-01 |- |20||Shouguang||476,274||1,139,454||{{small|''see Weifang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |21||Feicheng||472,775||946,627||{{small|''see Tai'an''}}||2010-11-01 |- |22||Gaomi||466,786||895,582||{{small|''see Weifang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |23||Pingdu||427,694||868,348||{{small|''see Qingdao''}}||2010-11-01 |- |24||Binzhou{{efn|name=Binzhou|New district established after census: Zhanhua (Zhanhua County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.}}||407,820||682,717||3,748,474||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" class="sortbottom" |(24)||Binzhou {{small|(new district)}}{{efn|name=Binzhou}}||146,577||351,672||{{small|''see Binzhou''}}||2010-11-01 |- |25||Jiaozhou||404,216||1357,424||{{small|''see Qingdao''}}||2010-11-01 |- bgcolor="lightyellow" |(26)||Zouping{{efn|name=Zouping|Zouping County is currently known as Zouping CLC after census.}}||389,003||778,777||{{small|''see Binzhou''}}||2010-11-01 |- |27||Longkou||388,770||688,255||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |28||Qingzhou||384,358||940,355||{{small|''see Weifang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |29||Laizhou||379,789||883,896||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |30||Linqing||376,337||719,611||{{small|''see Liaocheng''}}||2010-11-01 |- |31||Rongcheng||363,420||714,355||{{small|''see Weihai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |32||Laiyang||358,092||878,591||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |33||Laixi||347,452||750,225||{{small|''see Qingdao''}}||2010-11-01 |- |34||Qufu||302,805||640,498||{{small|''see Jining''}}||2010-11-01 |- |35||Anqiu||300,160||926,894||{{small|''see Weifang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |36||Changyi||287,720||603,482||{{small|''see Weifang''}}||2010-11-01 |- |37||Zhaoyuan||281,780||566,244||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |38||Rushan||259,876||572,481||{{small|''see Weihai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |39||Haiyang||244,600||638,729||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |40||Leling||214,238||652,415||{{small|''see Dezhou''}}||2010-11-01 |- |41||Qixia||204,633||589,620||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |- |42||Yucheng||203,724||490,031||{{small|''see Dezhou''}}||2010-11-01 |- |43||Penglai||185,894||451,109||{{small|''see Yantai''}}||2010-11-01 |} {{notelist}}

== Culture == {{main|Qilu culture}}

===Dialects=== [[File:Map of Shandong Dialects.png|thumb|Dialect divisions of Shandong according to the ''Language Atlas of China'' {{legend|#f4b0f3|Jiaoliao Mandarin – Denglian Cluster}} (Dengzhou, Dalian){{legend|#f3caf3|Jiaoliao Mandarin – Qingzhou Cluster}} (Qingzhou){{legend|#e5a5a0|Jilu Mandarin (influenced by Jiaoliao Mandarin)}} {{legend|#f9d9be|Jilu Mandarin – Zhangli Cluster}} (Zhangqiu, Lijin){{legend|#fbf1c1|Jilu Mandarin}} {{legend|#c2ec9d|Jilu Mandarin (influenced by Zhongyuan Mandarin)}} {{legend|#c5ffde|Zhongyuan Mandarin (influenced by Jilu Mandarin)}} {{legend|#7fe7dc|Zhongyuan Mandarin – Luoxu Cluster}} (Luoyang, Xuzhou){{legend|#76bcd6|Zhongyuan Mandarin – Zhengcao Cluster}} (Zhengzhou, Caozhou){{legend|#79a9dc|Zhongyuan Mandarin – Cailu Cluster}}(Xincai, Qufu)]] Mandarin dialects are spoken in Shandong. Linguists classify these dialects into three broad categories: Ji Lu Mandarin spoken in the northwest (as well as in neighboring Hebei), such as the Jinan dialect; Zhongyuan Mandarin spoken in the southwest (as well as in neighboring Henan); and Jiao Liao Mandarin spoken in the Shandong Peninsula (as well as the Liaodong Peninsula (e.g., Dalian, Dandong) and the southeastern Jilin (e.g., Baishan, Tonghua)), such as the Weihai Dialect. When people speak of the "Shandong dialect" ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=山東話}}), it is generally the first or the second that is meant; the Jiao Liao dialects of Shandong are commonly called the "Jiaodong dialect" ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=膠東話}}).

=== Cuisine === Shandong cuisine ({{lang-zh|labels=no|c=鲁菜}}) is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. It is known for its bread (corn-based) and fish dishes and characterized by its emphasis on fresh seafood, hearty soups, and bold, savory flavors achieved through techniques like braising and roasting, with a focus on preserving the natural taste of ingredients.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Swanson|first=Lauren A.|date=July 1996|title=1.19850+ billion mouths to feed: food linguistics and cross-cultural, cross-"national" food consumption habits in China|url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00070709610131357/full/html|journal=British Food Journal|language=en|volume=98|issue=6|pages=33–44|doi=10.1108/00070709610131357|issn=0007-070X|access-date=30 November 2021|archive-date=30 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130111944/https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00070709610131357/full/html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It can be further divided into three branches: inland branch (e.g. Jinan cuisine (济南菜)), the seafood-oriented Jiaodong branch (e.g. Fushan cuisine (福山菜)) in the peninsula, and Confucius's Family branch (孔府菜), with an elaborate tradition originally intended for imperial and other important feasts.

Shandong cuisine significantly influenced Beijing cuisine due to historical migration and political factors, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties when imperial chefs and officials in the capital mostly came from Shandong.<ref name=BJCRS1>Wang, Juling, ''Famous Dishes of Famous Restaurant in Beijing'', Golden Shield Publishing House in Beijing, December, 2000, {{ISBN|7-5082-1400-5}}</ref><ref name=BJCRS2>Xu, Chengbei, ''Ancient Beijing, Customs of the General Populace of Ancient Beijing'', Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House in Nanjing, September, 1999, {{ISBN|7-5344-0971-3}}</ref><ref name=BJCRS3>Hua Mengyang and Zhang Hongjie, ''Lives of the residents of Ancient Beijing'', Shandong Pictorial Publishing House in Jinan, June, 2000, {{ISBN|7-80603-452-8}}</ref><ref name=BJCRS4>Du, Fuxiang and Guo, Yunhui, ''Famous Restaurants in China'', China Tourism Publishing House in Beijing, 1982</ref> This influence is evident in Beijing cuisine's emphasis on hearty flavors, wheat-based staples, and cooking techniques such as braising, roasting, and deep-frying. <gallery mode="packed" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%"> Jiuqu dachang 2009 03.jpg|Braised intestines in brown sauce Mackerel-stuffed jiaozi in Qingdao (20191002202358).jpg|Seafood dumplings Wok-Fried Pork Liver.jpg|Wok-fried pork liver 糖醋鲤鱼2024（德州）.jpg|Yellow River sweet and sour fish </gallery>

===Literature and arts=== [[File:CADAL07011225 漱玉詞.djvu|thumb|''Ci of Shuyü'' by Li Qingzhao, who is an outstanding female poet from Zhangqiu in the 12th century|left|250x250px]] The literature of Shandong largely reflects Confucianism; Confucius proposed the poetic theory of "evocation, observation, socialization, and admonition" (興, 觀, 群, 怨), which laid the foundation for traditional Chinese poetic theory. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, notable literary figures from Shandong include Kong Rong and Wang Can of the Jian'an period, Zuo Si of the Western Jin, Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin, Bao Zhao and He Xun of the Southern Dynasties, Yan Zhitui of the Northern Qi, Duan Chengshi from the Tang to Five Dynasties period, Chao Buzhi, Li Qingzhao, and Xin Qiji of the Song and Yuan periods, Li Kaixian, Li Panlong, and Kong Shangren of the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as novelists like Luo Guanzhong and Pu Songling. Classic works from Shandong include the ''Book of Songs'', ''Spring and Autumn Annals'', ''Discourses of the States'', ''Zuo Zhuan'', ''Analects'', and ''Mencius''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Li Boqi|author2=Wang Yong|author3=Xu Wenjun|editor=Han Yuqun|title=History of Shandong Literature|date=2011-10-01|publisher=Shandong People's Publishing House|isbn=9787209058131|edition=1st}}</ref>

Representative works of Shandong folk songs (a branch of Chinese folk music) include the Han dynasty's ''Liangfuyin'' (梁父吟),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epaper.qlwb.com.cn/html/2011-03/24/content_101693.htm?div=-1|title=Brief Discussion on Liangfu Yin and the Stone Inscriptions on Mount Liangfu|publisher=Qilu Evening News|date=2011-03-24|accessdate=2014-07-06|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402002531/http://epaper.qlwb.com.cn/html/2011-03/24/content_101693.htm?div=-1|archivedate=2011-04-02}}</ref> the Qing dynasty collection ''Baixue Yiyin'' (白雪遗音, lit "Echoes of Snow and Sorrow"),<ref>Huang Zhiliang, "A Study on Baixue Yiyin", Master's thesis, Institute of Chinese Literature, Soochow University, July 1992</ref> and the modern folk song ''Yimeng Mountain Minor'' (沂蒙山小调). Local folk performance forms include Shandong Bangzi, Shandong Kuaishu, and Lü opera,<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国华文教育网-文学艺术 |url=http://www.hwjyw.com/zhwh/regional_culture/qlwh/esid/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305003227/http://www.hwjyw.com/zhwh/regional_culture/qlwh/esid/ |archive-date=2017-03-05 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.hwjyw.com}}</ref> while Shandong Drum Song (山東大鼓) was listed in the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. Famous Shandong operatic works include ''The Precious Sword'' (寶劍記) by Li Kaixian and ''The Peach Blossom Fan'' by Kong Shangren.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Liu Shuli |title=History of Shandong Theater|date=March 2016|chapter=Chapter 3: The Development and Evolution of Shandong Drama in the Ming Dynasty; Chapter 4: The Flourishing and Transformation of Shandong Theater in the Qing Dynasty |publisher=Beijing Normal University Press|isbn=9787303183784}}</ref> Shandong Bangzi and Lüju are popular types of Chinese opera in Shandong; both originated from southwestern Shandong. [[File:Mo Yan 14 2012.jpg|thumb|The first Nobel laureate in Literature with Chinese nationality, Mo Yan, hailed from Gaomi, Shandong, which served as the fictional backdrop for much of his literary work]] Notable contemporary Shandong cultural and performing figures include singer Peng Liyuan (from Yuncheng),<ref>{{cite web|title=Peng Liyuan's New Mission|url=http://style.sina.com.cn/people/s/2011-07-06/071680385.shtml|website=Sina Style|publisher=Global People Magazine|accessdate=2017-02-19|date=2011-07-06|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220012013/http://style.sina.com.cn/people/s/2011-07-06/071680385.shtml|archivedate=2017-02-20}}</ref> host Ni Ping (from Rongcheng), actress Gong Li (from Jinan), Huang Bo (from Qingdao), and writers Mo Yan (from Gaomi) and Zhang Wei (from Huang).<ref name=nytimescn>{{cite news|author=Ye Kai|title=Mo Yan Built a Hidden Literary Kingdom through "Cruel Narrative"|url=http://cn.nytimes.com/article/culture-arts/2012/10/11/cc11moyan/|accessdate=2012-10-11|newspaper=New York Times Chinese Edition|date=2012-10-11|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013235431/http://cn.nytimes.com/article/culture-arts/2012/10/11/cc11moyan/|archivedate=2012-10-13}}</ref> Peng Liyuan was the first person in mainland China to earn a master's degree in ethnic vocal music and now serves as president of the PLA Academy of Art.<ref name="sohub">{{cite web|url=http://business.sohu.com/20131019/n388500193.shtml|title=Peng Liyuan's 9 Defining Firsts: Met Xi Jinping at 24|publisher=Sohu Finance|date=2013-10-19|accessdate=2016-02-24|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003800/http://business.sohu.com/20131019/n388500193.shtml|archivedate=2016-03-04}}</ref> Ni Ping hosted the ''CCTV Spring Festival Gala'' for 13 consecutive years. In 2000, she shifted her career to film and television and won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress for Pretty Big Feet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://culture.ifeng.com/1/detail_2012_05/08/14384079_0.shtml|title=Ni Ping Reveals Why She Quit Hosting: "CCTV Chose Me Because I Was Ugly"|accessdate=2012-05-08|publisher=Phoenix News|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510202841/http://culture.ifeng.com/1/detail_2012_05/08/14384079_0.shtml|archivedate=2012-05-10}}</ref> Gong Li has received the Best Actress Award at the 49th Venice International Film Festival, two Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actress, and the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress at the 26th edition, among other domestic and international honors. Huang Bo won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor in 2009 and 2017 for ''Cow'' and ''The Conformist'', respectively, and also won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor in 2015 for ''Dearest''. In 2016, he signed with Sony Music Entertainment as a musician.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ent.sina.com.cn/y/yneidi/2016-05-05/doc-ifxryhhi8391749.shtml|title=Huang Bo Joins Sony Music to Seriously Pursue Music Career|date=5 May 2016 |accessdate=2016-05-05|publisher=Sina|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113031645/http://ent.sina.com.cn/y/yneidi/2016-05-05/doc-ifxryhhi8391749.shtml|archivedate=2017-01-13}}</ref> Mo Yan, a native from Gaomi, won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature for combining hallucinatory realism with folk tales, history, and contemporary society,<ref name="魔幻现实主义">{{cite web|url=http://article.yeeyan.org/view/245405/324909|title=Is Mo Yan Really "Hallucinatory Realism Blended with Folklore, History, and the Contemporary"?|author=Swedish Academy|translator=Jiang Lienong|accessdate=2012-10-14|publisher=Yeeyan|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017231720/http://article.yeeyan.org/view/245405/324909|archivedate=2012-10-17}}</ref> becoming the first Chinese national to receive this honor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mo Yan Becomes First Chinese National to Win Nobel Prize in Literature|url=http://news.163.com/12/1011/19/8DIC5OMV0001121M.html|accessdate=2015-03-29|date=2012-10-11|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163320/http://news.163.com/12/1011/19/8DIC5OMV0001121M.html|archivedate=2015-04-02}}</ref><ref name="Nobel Prize">{{cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Literature 2012: Mo Yan|url=http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2012/|publisher=Nobel Media AB|accessdate=2012-10-11|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109140617/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2012/|archivedate=2014-01-09}}</ref>

===Media=== Radio and television broadcasting in Shandong is divided into over-the-air radio, cable radio, and television broadcasting, all of which are state-owned enterprises. In May 1933, the first wireless broadcasting station was established in Jinan and named the Shandong Provincial Capital Broadcasting Station. On 27 October 1950, the Shandong People's Radio Station officially began broadcasting to the entire province. By 1955, some counties and cities began to establish cable broadcasting stations. By the end of 1990, the province had 16 wireless radio stations and 34 television stations.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东省志·广播电视志|loc=前言}}</ref> As of the end of 2019, the comprehensive coverage rates of radio and television in Shandong were 99.13% and 99.10%, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=辽宁统计年鉴2012(EXCEL)406 |url=https://www.tongjinianjian.com/3816.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319145735/https://www.tongjinianjian.com/3816.html |archive-date=2021-03-19 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=统计年鉴 |language=zh-CN}}</ref> Among them, the Shandong Radio and Television Station has 21 channels, including 11 television channels such as Shandong Satellite TV and 10 radio channels.<ref>{{cite web|title=齐鲁网介绍 |url=http://www.iqilu.com/intro/150588.shtml|website=齐鲁网|accessdate=2017-01-10|date=January 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126061033/http://www.iqilu.com/intro/150588.shtml|archivedate=2017-01-26}}</ref> The Jinan Radio and Television Station currently has 8 television channels and 7 radio channels; the Qingdao Radio and Television Station has 7 television channels and 9 radio channels; and the Zibo Radio and Television Station has 5 television channels covering news, science education, public affairs, life, and urban topics, as well as 4 radio channels.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.iqilu.com/other/20111106/1039770.shtml |title=淄博电视台简介 |date=2011-11-06 |publisher=齐鲁网 |accessdate=2014-12-28 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227215713/http://news.iqilu.com/other/20111106/1039770.shtml |archivedate=2014-12-27 }}</ref>

During the late Qing Dynasty, more than 20 newspapers were published successively in Shandong, including ''Jinan Bulletin'' (濟南匯報) founded in 1903 by Governor of Shandong Zhou Fu, and later publications such as ''Jinan Daily'' (濟南日報), and ''Shandong Official Gazette'' (山東官報).

At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, only Dazhong Daily and seven regional and municipal newspapers remained in circulation.

Following the Reform and opening-up, the newspaper industry in Shandong resumed growth. By the end of 1990, the number of officially registered and approved newspapers in the province had reached 119.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东省志·报业志|loc=前言}}</ref> Today, some of the most well-known newspapers in Shandong include ''Qilu Evening News'', ''Jinan Times'' and ''Shandong Business Daily''.<ref>{{cite web|author1=郭全中郭凤娟|title=中国报业"大众现象"探析|url=http://zgbx.people.com.cn/n/2013/1017/c370062-23234268.html|website=中国报协网|publisher=中国报业|accessdate=2017-02-22|date=2013-10-17|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702015506/http://zgbx.people.com.cn/n/2013/1017/c370062-23234268.html|archivedate=2016-07-02}}</ref>

== Transport == ===Rail=== [[File:Feldbahn-Dampflokomotive mit Ausfuhrgut Kiautschou. G.E.6. China. Im chinesischen Kiautschou sollte eine deutsche 'Musterkolonie' entstehen.jpg|thumb|German engineers posed before a locomotive on the newly completed Qingdao–Jinan railway, which opened Shandong's interior to large-scale trade and resource extraction, connecting the port of Qingdao with the provincial capital Jinan and laying the groundwork for the region's rapid urban and industrial transformation]] [[File:Dezhou-Dajiawa Railway Yellow River Bridge.jpg|thumb|Train No. K1531 passes Longju Bridge over Yellow River near Lijin]] The history of railway in Shandong can be traced back to Jiaozhou–Jinan Railway, which was constructed by Germans between 1899 and 1904 through the Shantung Railway Company ({{langx|de|Schantung Eisenbahn Gesellschaft}}). The railroad was backed by German capital and operated under German management; they also built braches linking industrial towns such as Boshan and Fangzi.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhu |first1=Xiao Lin |last2=Liu |first2=Juan |last3=Ju |first3=Hong Lei |date=2011 |title=History's Continuity and Regeneration of Fangzi, a Modern Town along Jiaoji Railway |url=https://www.scientific.net/AMR.317-319.2310 |journal=Advanced Materials Research |language=en |volume=317-319 |pages=2310–2313 |doi=10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.317-319.2310 |issn=1662-8985|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The line stretched approximately 393 kilometers, connecting Jinan, the provincial capital located in the northwestern interior of Shandong, with the German-controlled port of Qingdao. This railway is still the most important east–west main line across Shandong Province.{{cn|date=March 2026}}

As for north–south traffics, Jingjiu railway (Beijing-Kowloon) and Jinghu railway (Beijing-Shanghai) are two major arterial railways that pass through the western part of Shandong. The Jingjiu passes through Liaocheng and Heze; the Jinghu passes through Dezhou, Jinan, Tai'an, Yanzhou (the Jinghu high-speed railway will through Qufu) and Zaozhuang.

The first high-speed railroad, Qingdao–Jinan passenger railway, operated in 2008, with maximum speed of 250 km. In the subsequent years, high-speed lines such as Beijing–Shanghai, Qingdao-Rongcheng, Shijiazhuang–Jinan and Zhengzhou–Jinan were all completed and commenced operation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=韩家慧 |title="四横"收官！石济高铁明天��通运营-新华网 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-12/27/c_129776473.htm |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=www.xinhuanet.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=新华全媒+丨济郑高铁全线贯通运营-新华网 |url=http://www.news.cn/fortune/2023-12/08/c_1130015116.htm |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=www.news.cn}}</ref>

Jinan West Railway Station is the largest railway hub in Shandong Province, serving as the intersection point of the Jinan hub (comprising the Beijing–Shanghai railway, Jiaoji railway, and Handan–Jinan railway lines). Other major railway hubs include: the Qingdao railway station (connecting the Jiaoji, Jiaoxin, Jiaohuang, and Lanyan railways), the Dezhou hub (connecting the Beijing–Shanghai and Shide railways, under the administration of the Beijing Railway Bureau), the Yanzhou hub (Beijing–Shanghai, Xinyan, and Yanshi railways), and the Heze hub (Beijing–Kowloon and Xinyan railways).

According to the classification of the Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China, Shandong currently has four top-tier (special-class) railway stations:

* Jinan Railway Station (passenger and freight) * Jinxi Railway Station (济西站, one of the nation's top ten network-level freight marshalling yards) * Jinan West Railway Station (passenger station on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway) * Qingdao Railway Station (passenger station)

The Jinan East Railway Station is the largest railway station in Shandong. The Jinan Railway Bureau, following its 2008 reorganization, manages the majority of Shandong's trunk and branch railway networks, as well as the Bohai Train Ferry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=济南铁路局 - 铁路网 |url=http://www.tielu.cn/jinan/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129083824/http://www.tielu.cn/jinan/ |archive-date=2016-11-29 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.tielu.cn}}</ref>

As of the end of 2024, Qingdao and Jinan are the only two cities in Shandong with a metro system.

===Road=== thumb|Shandong Expressway Network in 2023 Shandong has one of the densest and highest quality expressway networks among all Chinese provinces. These National Trunk Highway System (NTHS) expressways pass through or begin in Shandong. Expressways that begin in Shandong are in '''bold''': * G2 Jinghu Expressway (Beijing–Shanghai) * G3 Jingtai Expressway (Beijing–Taipei, Taiwan) * G15 Shenhai Expressway (Shenyang, Liaoning–Haikou, Hainan) * '''G18 Rongwu Expressway''' (Rongcheng–Wuhai, Inner Mongolia) * '''G20 Qingyin Expressway''' (Qingdao–Yinchuan, Ningxia) * '''G22 Qinglan Expressway''' (Qingdao–Lanzhou, Gansu) * G25 Changshen Expressway (Changchun, Jilin–Shenzhen, Guangdong)

There are also many shorter regional expressways within Shandong.

===Sea=== {{See also|Bohai Train Ferry|Weidong Ferry}} The Shandong Peninsula, with its bays and harbours, has many important ports, including Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, Rizhao, Dongying and Longkou. Many of these ports have historical significance and the sites of former foreign naval bases or historical battles, such as Jin–Song wars, war of Ming and Manchus, First Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.

Ferries link the cities on the north coast of the Shandong with Changshan Islands and Liaodong Peninsula. Eastward, Weidong Ferry links Shandong with Incheon, Republic of Korea, personnels and vehicles can be transported to South Korea and even Japan via this way<ref>{{Cite web |title=인천항 여객터미널 |url=http://www.icferry.or.kr/index.do |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=www.icferry.or.kr}}</ref>. ===Air=== {{Location map+|China Shandong|float=right|width=250|caption=Major civil airports in Shandong|places= {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=TNA|lat=36.857|long=117.216 |mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=left}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=YNT|lat=37.655|long=120.991 |mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=right}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=JNG|lat=35.64694|long=116.7441 |mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=right}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=LYI|lat=35.049167|long=118.411944 |mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=bottom}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=WEH|lat=37.188333|long=122.23 |mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=bottom}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=DOY|lat=37.508889|long=118.789167|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=left}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=WEF|lat=36.646944|long=119.118611|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=left}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=TAO|lat=36.348333|long=120.059167|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=top}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=PNJ|lat=37.808887|long=120.812775|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=left}} {{Location map~|China Shandong| label_size=90| label=RIZ|lat=35.3944942|long=119.2618542|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg|position=right}} }} By 2014, civil aviation in Shandong Province had formed a preliminary structure featuring two trunk airports, Jinan and Qingdao, alongside six regional airports: Yantai, Jining, Linyi, Weihai, Dongying, and Weifang.<ref name=qilu>{{cite web|title=山东6支线机场全部亏损青日聊菏将建新机场惹争议|url=http://news.iqilu.com/shandong/yaowen/2014/0210/1857689.shtml|website=齐鲁网|publisher=齐鲁晚报|accessdate=2016-11-28|date=2014-02-10|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129144701/http://news.iqilu.com/shandong/yaowen/2014/0210/1857689.shtml|archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref>

Additionally, Penglai Shahekou Airport, which was completed and opened to air traffic in 2002, is primarily used for test flights, training, and tourism.<ref>{{cite web|title=蓬莱沙河口机场|url=http://www.cgaa.com.cn/tonghbk/index.aspx?nodeid=347&page=ContentPage&contentid=16122|website=中国航空运输协会|publisher=快飞网|accessdate=2016-11-30|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219151620/http://www.cgaa.com.cn/tonghbk/index.aspx?nodeid=347&page=ContentPage&contentid=16122|archivedate=2017-12-19}}</ref> Rizhao Shanzihe Airport opened on 22 December 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/TJSJ/201603/t20160331_30105.html |title=2015年全国机场生产统计公报 |accessdate=2015-07-10 |date=2016-03-31 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423230847/http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/TJSJ/201603/t20160331_30105.html |archivedate=2016-04-23 }}</ref> and Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport officially commenced operations on 12 August 2021.

In 2014, Shandong's total annual passenger throughput exceeded 30 million for the first time, with total cargo and mail volume reaching 350,000 tons. Among them, Qingdao Liuting International Airport alone handled over 10 million passengers.<ref>{{cite web|title=2014年华东局各大机场吞吐量统计数据出炉|url=http://news.carnoc.com/list/305/305242.html|website=民航资源网|publisher=中国民用航空华东地区管理局网站|accessdate=2016-11-28|date=2015-01-28|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129143954/http://news.carnoc.com/list/305/305242.html|archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref>

Direct flights between Shandong and Taiwan were launched in 2008. There are currently four cities with cross-strait direct flights: Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, and Weihai, operating 10 routes with 52 round-trip flights per week, carrying over 1,000 passengers daily.<ref name=qilu/>

Shandong Airlines was founded in 1994 and currently operates more than 220 routes, with over 700 flights per week serving more than 40 major and medium-sized cities across China. As of March 2018, the airline had a fleet of 114 Boeing 737 series aircraft, with an average age of 5.0 years.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

== Tourism == Tourist attractions in Shandong include:

; Peninsula * Qingdao, a beach resort city on the south of the peninsula with German-era heritage architecture and is also famous for its Tsingtao brewery. ** Ba Da Guan, made up of eight streets named after the eight great military forts of ancient times. ** Zhan Qiao, a long strip pier stretches into the sea and was the first wharf at Qingdao. ** Mount Lao, a scenic area and Daoist center to the east of Qingdao. * Weihai, a former military port played an important in the First Sino-Japanese War. As a British colony, it also has British-era heritage architectures. * Yantai, a port city on the northeast of Shandong ** Penglai Pavilion, a site heavily associated with Taoism culture, such as Xu Fu, Eight Immortals and Qiu Chuji. ** Changdao Islands, a series of islands stretching from south to north on the mouth of Bohai Bay. *Rizhao, a port city with a fancy coastline and beaches.

; Heartland * Jinan, the capital city of Shandong since Ming dynasty, renowned for its 72 Famous Springs. **Baotu Spring, a culturally significant artesian karst spring, declared as "Number One Spring under the Heaven" ({{lang-zh|s=天下第一泉|labels=no}}) by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty. **Daming Lake, the largest lake in Jinan, whose water is from the area's springs. Marco Polo described its beauty in his works. **Thousand Buddha Mountain, renowned for its numerous Buddha images which have been carved out of the hill's rock faces or free-standing structures erect since the times of the Sui dynasty and its Xingguochan Temple. **Fuxue Confucian Temple of Jinan. **Lingyan Temple, one of the four most famous temples ({{lang-zh|s=四大名刹|labels=no}}) in Tang dynasty, in which there is 11th century Pizhi Pagoda and the Thousand Buddha Hall which houses a Ming dynasty bronze Buddha statue as well as 40 painted clay statues of life-size luohan from the Song dynasty. **remnant of Great Wall of Qi, the oldest existing Great Wall in China, which is built in 685 BCE and stretches from Jinan to Qingdao. *Weifang, which has numerous natural and historic sites, such as Shihu Garden (from the Late Ming and early Qing dynasty), Fangong Pavilion (from the Song dynasty), fossil sites (including dinosaur fossils, in Shanwang, Linqu), Mount Yi National Forest Park and Mount Qingyun. Yangjiabu has painted New Year woodcuts, which are also famous all around China. ** Qingzhou, former provincial capital, an ancient trading and administrative center with some famous archaeological discoveries. *Dezhou, a city near the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. **Laoling, where the Laoling Film studio is the located in; it is largest film and television production base in Northern China.

; Southwest * Jining, rich of cultural and historical relics, especially for its association with Confucius and its location along the Grand Canal. ** Qufu, former capital of Lu state, and the home of Confucius. ** Zoucheng, home of Mencius; Prince of Lu of Ming Dynasty also resided here. ** Weishan, where the Weishan Lake is located in. ** Yanzhou, one of Nine Provinces, former administrative center. *Zaozhuang, Taierzhuang old town is a famous scenic area. ; UNESCO World Heritage Sites * There are four places in Shandong listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites: **Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong is a very famous World Heritage Site in China, and it is also a 5A Tourist Attraction. Lying to the Temple's east, the Kong Family Mansion developed from a small family house linked to the temple into an aristocratic mansion. The male direct descendants of Confucius lived and worked.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/704|title=Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu|date=n.d.|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=2016-12-07|archive-date=28 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228052725/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/704|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Confucian Temple, Cemetery and Family Mansion in Qufu |url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/74944.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508110858/http://www.china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/74944.htm |archive-date=2016-05-08 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=www.china.org.cn}}</ref> ** Tai Shan, sacred mountain, in Tai'an<ref name="Centre">{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Mount Taishan |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/437/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> ** Grand Canal (part), runs through south to north in Western part of the province<ref name="Centre"/> ** Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China in Dongying<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1606/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> <gallery mode="packed" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%"> Jade Emperor Peak 50477-Taishan (49055678751).jpg|Jade Emperor Peak, Taian China Jinan 5196975.jpg|Baotu Spring, Jinan 威海刘公岛北洋水师海军公所 - panoramio.jpg|Liugong Island, Weihai 中国山东省曲阜市孔庙万仞宫墙.jpg| City Wall, Qufu Qingdao Pier.jpg|Zhanqiao Pier, Qingdao 20230623 Dongwanyuan Park, Linqing, Shandong 16.jpg|Grand Canal, Linqing </gallery>

== Education ==

=== History of education === [[File:青州貢院原址.jpg|thumb|Traditional Confucius academy of Qingzhou Prefecture (青州府) in Qingzhou, Weifang]] [[File:Graduates of tengchow college.jpg|thumb|First cohort of graduates of Christian-led Tengchow College in Cheefoo, Yantai]] [[File:山东大学（中心校区）南门（正门）.jpg|thumb|Shandong University, which is consistently considered the best university of the province, in Licheng, Jinan]] Shandong is considered one of China's leading provinces in education and research. Shandong hosts 153 higher education institutions, ranking second in the East China region after Jiangsu and fourth among all Chinese provinces/municipalities after Jiangsu, Guangdong and Henan.<ref name=":03" />

Before the late Qing dynasty, Shandong generally enjoyed a flourishing educational tradition, except during a few periods such as the Qin dynasty and the late Jin dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius pioneered private education. In the Northern Song dynasty, Shandong first introduced the "school field" system, which promoted institutional education. In the Ming and Qing periods, private schools, official schools, and academies of classical learning thrived. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing dynasty, there were 75 academies in Shandong, of which 61 were government-run. Following the Hundred Days' Reform, Shandong established the first provincial-level university in China.

During the late Qing period, Western missionary education had a significant influence on Shandong's educational development. For example, in 1866, Presbyterian missionary Calvin Wilson Mateer founded the Wenxian Primary School (for boys) and Huiying Primary School (for girls) in Yuhuangding, Yantai, which were the first modern schools established in Yantai following its opening as a treaty port under the Treaty of Tientsin in 1862. These schools later developed into the Yantai Yuwen Business College, the predecessor of today's Yantai No. 2 High School. Mateer's wife, Julia Mateer, also established the first kindergarten in Yantai at Yuhuangding. Calvin Mateer went on to establish over 40 primary schools in areas including Fushan, Muping, Qixia, Laiyang, Haiyang, Jimo, Jiaozhou, and urban Yantai. Fellow missionaries Hunter Corbett and his wife established the Tengchow College, the first modern higher education institution in China, which also became one of the earliest Christian colleges in the country.

After the Chinese Communist Party came to power, all institutions of higher education in the province ceased enrollment for five years starting in 1966 due to the Cultural Revolution, which severely disrupted educational order. Restoration did not begin until after 1976.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东省志·教育志|loc=前言}}</ref> As of 2016, the province had 18,853 kindergartens, 12,951 compulsory education schools (including 10,027 elementary schools and 2,924 junior high schools), 580 regular high schools, 428 secondary vocational schools, 146 special education schools, and 155 higher education institutions (144 regular universities and colleges and 11 adult education institutions).<ref name="教育公报"/> There were 25 nationally designated key technical schools, with a provincial enrollment of 148,000 students in technical schools, and a graduate employment rate of 98%. Among them, the Shandong Lanxiang Senior Technical School gained widespread attention after Western media reported its role in training technical non-commissioned officers for the People's Liberation Army.<ref name="nyt2010">{{cite web |last=Markoff |first=John |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/technology/19china.html |title=John Markoff, David Barboza: 2 China Schools Said to Be Tied to Online Attacks, The New York Times, published: 2010-2-18 |location=China |work=The New York Times |date=2010-03-04 |accessdate=2017-08-14 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909044233/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/technology/19china.html |archivedate=2017-09-09 }}</ref>

=== Colleges and universities === {{See also|List of universities and colleges in Shandong}} As of 2016, Shandong had 141 officially accredited higher education institutions offering general degree programs, including 67 regular undergraduate institutions, 73 vocational colleges, and 1 branch campus. Among the regular undergraduate institutions, 44 were public, 12 were private, and 11 were independent colleges. Among the vocational colleges, 60 were public and 13 were private.<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-05-18 |title=盘点2016山东141所正规高校莫被虚假大学蒙骗 |url=http://gaokao.eol.cn/daxue/zixun/201605/t20160518_1399432.shtml |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113014440/http://gaokao.eol.cn/daxue/zixun/201605/t20160518_1399432.shtml |archivedate=2017-01-13 |accessdate=2017-01-10 |website=中国教育在线 |publisher=济南时报}}</ref> Shandong is home to three universities included in the Double First-Class Construction, namely Shandong University (985), Ocean University of China (985), and China University of Petroleum (East China) (211). Additionally, three Double First-Class universities registered in other provinces have campuses in Shandong: Beijing Jiaotong University, Weihai (211), Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai (985), and China Agricultural University, Yantai (985).<ref>{{Harvnb|中国山东|loc=高等教育}}</ref> Shandong ranks first in the nation in terms of marine science research capacity. As of the end of 2009, the province had nearly 60 national and provincial-level institutions engaged in marine science and education, 29 provincial and ministerial-level marine key laboratories, over 20 scientific research vessels, 10 national-level demonstration bases for marine science and technology, and more than half of China's marine science personnel—including 23 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.<ref>{{cite book |author1=杜鹰 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVdUDQAAQBAJ |title=中国区域经济发展年鉴 |date=2012-12-01 |publisher=中国财政经济出版社 |isbn=978-7-5095-4193-7 |url-status=live |accessdate=2016-12-01 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201084453/https://books.google.de/books?id=BVdUDQAAQBAJ&hl=de&source=gbs_navlinks_s |archivedate=2016-12-01}}</ref>

As of 2025, two major cities in the province ranked in the top 35 cities in the world (Jinan #27 and Qingdao #31) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.<ref name=":3" />

; Jinan *Shandong University *University of Jinan *Shandong University of Finance and Economics *Shandong Normal University *Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

; Qingdao *Ocean University of China *China University of Petroleum *Qingdao Agricultural University *Qingdao University *Qingdao University of Technology *Shandong University of Science and Technology *Qingdao Binhai University *Qingdao Technical College

; Yantai *China Agricultural University *Shandong Institute of Business and Technology *Yantai University *Ludong University

; Weihai *Harbin University of Science and Technology *Harbin Institute of Technology *Beijing Jiaotong University

; Other cities *Qufu Normal University (Qufu) *Shandong Agricultural University (Tai'an) *Weifang University (Weifang) *Weifang Medical University (Weifang) *Shandong University of Technology (Zibo) *Zibo Vocational Institute (Zibo) *Liaocheng University (Liaocheng) *Linyi University (Linyi) *Binzhou Medical College (Binzhou) *Jining Medical University (Jining) *Rizhao Polytechnic (Rizhao) *Shandong Foreign Languages Vocational College (Rizhao)

== Sports == [[File:Imgp (223420749).jpeg|thumb|Qingdao International Sailing Centre]] [[File:Palmeiras x Shandong Luneng 2015 (16592174827).jpg|thumb|A game between Palmeiras and Shandong Luneng]] Before the 20th century, traditional sports were the main form of physical activity in Shandong, while modern competitive sports gradually became dominant. The 1903 Hetan Games (阖滩运动会) in Yantai was one of the most prominent early modern athletic competitions in China. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, most sports activities came to a halt. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, mass sports movements gained momentum in Shandong. In October 1953, the province established the Shandong Provincial Sports Committee. During the Cultural Revolution, all sports activities were suspended and administrative agencies ceased functioning. After the Reform and Opening-Up, Shandong successfully hosted over 70 national competitions, including championships, league matches at various levels, regional tournaments, title contests, and cup competitions.<ref>{{Harvnb|山东省志·体育志|loc=前言}}</ref> Today, Shandong is home to several professional sports clubs such as Shandong Taishan F.C., Qingdao Hainiu F.C., Qingdao West Coast F.C., Qingdao Red Lions F.C., Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin, and Qingdao Eagles.<ref>{{cite web |title=山东鲁能泰山足球俱乐部|url=http://www.lnts.com.cn/|website=官方网站|accessdate=2017-02-18|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221015833/http://www.lnts.com.cn/|archivedate=2017-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=青岛黄海足球俱乐部|url=http://www.huanghaihnfc.com/|website=官方网站|accessdate=2017-08-03|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803141623/http://www.huanghaihnfc.com/|archivedate=2017-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=青岛中能足球俱乐部|url=http://www.zhongnengfc.com/|website=官方网站 |accessdate=2017-02-18|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622074953/http://zhongnengfc.com/|archivedate=2017-06-22}}</ref>

Shandong has hosted numerous major sports events, including the National Games, the World Table Tennis Championships, and the AFC Asian Cup. Qingdao also served as a co-host city for the 2008 Summer Olympics sailing events. In 2009, Shandong hosted the 11th National Games of China, ranking first nationwide in terms of gold medals, total medals, and overall points.<ref>{{Cite web |title=山东队63金居历史次高江苏0.5金险胜辽宁列第2-搜狐体育 |url=http://sports.sohu.com/20091028/n267813950.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217043439/http://sports.sohu.com/20091028/n267813950.shtml |archive-date=2017-02-17 |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=sports.sohu.com}}</ref> Moreover, since 2009, Shandong has achieved five consecutive championship at the National Games of China, leading both the gold medal and total medal counts<ref>{{cite news |title=Shandong secures fifth consecutive championship at China's National Games |url=https://sd.people.com.cn/n2/2025/1122/c166188-41419635.html |work=People's Daily |date=22 November 2025 |access-date=28 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shandong delegation tops medal table for fifth straight National Games |url=https://sd.ifeng.com/c/8oSsVKd66Vw |work=Phoenix News |date=21 November 2025 |access-date=28 November 2025}}</ref>.

The year 2015 is considered the "inaugural year" of marathon events in Shandong. Major marathons have since been held in cities such as Dongying, Yantai, Weifang, Tai'an, Qingdao, Linyi, Zibo (Gaoqing), Tengzhou, and Jining. Among them, Dongying, Yantai, Tai'an, Qingdao (Laixi), Qingdao (High-tech Zone), and Linyi host international marathons.<ref>{{cite web|author1=石念军|title=马拉松在山东越来越火你知道办一场到底多赚钱吗？|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/run/2016-05-20/doc-ifxsktvr0997472.shtml|website=新浪竞技风暴|publisher=齐鲁晚报|accessdate=2016-12-01|date=2016-05-20|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202034517/http://sports.sina.com.cn/run/2016-05-20/doc-ifxsktvr0997472.shtml|archivedate=2016-12-02}}</ref>

Prominent athletes from Shandong include table tennis world champion Zhang Jike, billiards player Pan Xiaoting (nine-ball), Olympic shooting champion Du Li, Olympic weightlifter Liu Chunhong, long-distance runner Xing Huina, and gymnast Xing Aowei.<ref>{{cite web|title=山东明星|url=http://www.zzhydp.com/sd/sdmx/|website=山东体育网|accessdate=2016-11-29|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129144441/http://www.zzhydp.com/sd/sdmx/|archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref>

=== Events held in Shandong === * 2009 National Games of China * 2002 Table Tennis World Cup * 2004 AFC Asian Cup * 2007 A3 Champions Cup * Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics * 2011 Sudirman Cup * 2012 Badminton Asia Championships * 2012 Asian Beach Games

=== Professional sports teams based in Shandong === * Chinese Basketball Association ** Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin **Qingdao Eagles * Chinese Super League ** Shandong Taishan ** Qingdao Hainiu ** Qingdao West Coast * China League One ** Qingdao Red Lions

=== Former professional sports teams based in Shandong === * Jinan Xingzhou * Qingdao Haisha * Qingdao Sunrise * Qingdao Hailifeng * Qingdao Huanghai * Jining Dranix * Shandong Tengding * Yantai Yiteng F.C.

== Sister regions== Since October 1979, when Qingdao and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan established the first pair of sister cities in Shandong Province,<ref>{{Harvnb|中国山东|loc=友好关系}}</ref> by the end of October 2016, Shandong had 211 pairs of international sister provinces/states and cities (including 36 at the provincial level), as well as 214 pairs of international friendly cooperative relationships (28 at the provincial level). The total number of international partnerships ranks among the top in China.<ref>{{cite web|title=山东加快外事工作转型友好省州总量居全国前列|url=http://news.iqilu.com/shandong/yuanchuang/2016/1101/3143816.shtml|website=Qilu Net|accessdate=2016-11-28|date=2016-11-01|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129023531/http://news.iqilu.com/shandong/yuanchuang/2016/1101/3143816.shtml|archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref>

Currently, Shandong's relationships with South Australia and Bavaria have become exemplary models of a new type of international provincial partnerships.<ref>{{cite web|title=巴伐利亚州和山东省缔结友好省州关系25周年 |url=http://www.bavaria-china.com/2012/11/245.html|website=Representative Office of Bavaria in China |accessdate=2016-11-28|date=2012-11-21|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129024411/http://www.bavaria-china.com/2012/11/245.html |archivedate=2016-11-29}}</ref> As of 2024, Shandong has sister regions as follows: {{div col|colwidth=18em}} * {{flagicon|JPN}} Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan * {{flagicon|JPN}} Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * {{flagicon|PRK}} South Hwanghae Province, North Korea * {{flagicon|FRA}} Brittany, France * {{flagicon|AUS}} South Australia, Australia * {{flagicon|USA}} Connecticut, United States * {{flagicon|GER}} Bavaria, Germany * {{flagicon|ITA}} Marche, Italy * {{flagicon|LKA}} North Western Province, Sri Lanka * {{flagicon|KOR}} South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea * {{flagicon|USA}} Texas, United States * {{flagicon|NLD}} North Holland, Netherlands * {{flagicon|UKR}} Kherson Oblast, Ukraine * {{flagicon|VNM}} Quảng Nam, Vietnam * {{flagicon|AUT}} Upper Austria, Austria * {{flagicon|ROM}} Cluj County, Romania * {{flagicon|PNG}} East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea * {{flagicon|FSM}} Kosrae State, Micronesia * {{flagicon|PER}} La Libertad Region, Peru * {{flagicon|ZAF}} Western Cape, South Africa * {{flagicon|BRA}} Bahia, Brazil * {{flagicon|PHI}} Ilocos Norte, Philippines * {{flagicon|TUN}} Sousse Governorate, Tunisia * {{flagicon|VEN}} Anzoátegui State, Venezuela * {{flagicon|VEN}} Monagas State, Venezuela * {{flagicon|CAN}} Quebec, Canada * {{flagicon|IRI}} Khuzestan Province, Iran * {{flagicon|RUS}} Republic of Tatarstan, Russia * {{flagicon|ARG}} Buenos Aires Province, Argentina * {{flagicon|KOR}} Gyeonggi Province, South Korea * {{flagicon|NGA}} Ogun State, Nigeria * {{flagicon|SWI}} Aargau, Switzerland * {{flagicon|POL}} Masovian Voivodeship, Poland * {{flagicon|PAK}} Punjab, Pakistan * {{flagicon|THA}} Bangkok, Thailand {{div col end}}

== Notes == {{Notelist}} {{NoteFoot}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2012-12/19/content_16031295.htm China's agricultural export powerhouse faces grim year - Business - Chinadaily.com.cn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630084310/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2012-12/19/content_16031295.htm |date=30 June 2017 }} *[http://info.hktdc.com/mktprof/china/Shandong.htm Economic profile for Shandong] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921020817/http://info.hktdc.com/mktprof/china/Shandong.htm |date=21 September 2008 }} at HKTDC {{refend}}

== External links == {{commons}} * {{Wikivoyage inline}} * {{in lang|zh}} [http://www.shandong.gov.cn/ Shandong Government website] * {{in lang|en|zh}} [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/4448 Complete Map of the Seven Coastal Provinces] from 1821 to 1850 * [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/538614/Shandong Shandong Article] Encyclopædia Britannica

{{Geographic location |Centre = Shandong |North = Liaoning |Northeast = ''Bohai Sea'' |East = Korea |Southeast = ''Yellow Sea'' |South = Anhui Jiangsu |Southwest = Henan |West = |Northwest = Hebei }} {{Shandong topics}} {{Shandong}} {{Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China}} {{Authority control}} {{Portal bar|China}}

Category:Shandong Category:Provinces of China Category:East China