Shandong is located in Eastern China and its Capital is Jinan. A coastal province, Shandong is where the Yellow River reaches the sea and the Shandong Peninsula faces the DPRK, South Korea and Japan.
Shandong is one of the sources of Chinese civilization. It was home to Confucius and Mencius, two of ancient China's greatest philosophers. Confucius began his teachings 25-hundred years ago and has had a far reaching influence on both China and the world. The temple, mansion and Cemetery of Confucius and Mount Tai have all been listed as world natural and cultural site by UNESCO.
Shandong is second only to Henan province in population with almost 92 million people.
It's capital, Jinan, is known as the city of springs, thanks to its abundant water resources.
Qingdao is a major port and a popular tourist destination. The sailing competitions of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were being held at Qingdao.
Shandong ranks first among the provinces in the production of a variety of products, including cotton and wheat as well as precious metals such as gold and diamonds.
It's also one of the richer provinces of China. Shandong's economic development focuses on large enterprises with well-know brand names.
In 2008, the nominal GDP for Shandong was 3.1 trillion yuan, or 446 billion US dollars, ranking second in the country. It's per capita GDP was over 33 thousand yuan, or about 4.8 thousand US dollars, ranking seventh in China.
(CCTV September 15, 2009)
