Sandefan Village

Sandefan Village

Scenic Area Title: Rural Tourism (Most Beautiful Village in Shandong)

Sandefan Village is situated in the southern part of Zhangqiu City and the central area of Wenzu Town. The village includes four administrative villages—East, West, South, and North—and has formed the Sandefan Economic Cooperative. Since its establishment as the "Sandefan Office" on October 16, 1986, the village has invested heavily in the rescue and restoration of cultural relics and historic sites on the basis of ensuring access to water, electricity, roads, and communication. This has brought the ancient temples and other historic structures in the village back to life, preserving their original charm and achieving an unprecedented level of splendor.

With continuous economic development, the village has seen rapid changes, and the living standards of its residents have improved like never before. Cultural activities have also flourished, with significant progress in preschool education and healthcare. Sports and cultural events are vibrant and diverse. In 2001, the village was honored as Zhangqiu City's Star Sports Village. Entertainment activities include traditional opera performances and folk performances. The Sandefan Lü Opera Troupe has won numerous awards in Zhangqiu City, and the Sandefan Pole-Carrying Performance (a type of folk performance known as Xinzǐ) won the highest award in folk art—the Mountain Flower Award—at the first National Folk Art Performance Competition held in Guangzhou in 2006. Sandefan has a long-standing tradition of folk performances, with participants ranging from elders to young children. The performances include a wide variety of acts such as comedy, acrobatics, martial arts, dragon and lion dances, stilt walking, and pole-carrying. The main folk programs include: land boat dancing, bamboo horse dancing, stilt walking, martial arts, lion dancing, and other locally created performances. The content of the pole-carrying performances often features characters from traditional operas, such as *Green Snake and White Snake*, *Nezha Conquers the Sea*, *The Butterfly Lovers (Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai)*, *Kou Zhun Carries the Boots*, *Sun An Moves the Petition*, *The Monkey King Thrice Defeats the Skeleton Demon*, *Hai Rui Dismissed from Office*, *Wang Xiao Delivers a Bride*, and *The Monkey Picks Dates*.

Address: Sandefan Village, Wenzu Town, Zhangqiu City, Jinan

Business Hours: 24 hours

Suggested Visiting Time: Approximately 4 hours

Price Description: No admission fee.

Supporting Facilities:

Dining, accommodation, entertainment

Self-driving Directions:

Zhangqiu City – Shuangshan Street – Huiquan Road – Mingshui Street – Railway North Road – pass the left side of Fortune Building B – turn right into Shuangshan Street – S242 – drive 10.2 km along S242, then turn right – drive 730 m, then turn slightly left ahead – drive 370 m, then turn right – drive 790 m, then turn left – drive 220 m, then turn slightly left ahead – drive 30 m to reach Sandefan Village

Parking Information:

Parking area within the village.