Luxi Yellow Cattle: One of China’s five famous indigenous yellow cattle breeds, dual-purpose for draft and meat. They have a tall and robust build, well-developed forequarters, strong muscles, solid physique, balanced conformation, strong adaptability, thin skin, high meat yield, good meat quality, plump and tender flesh, fine muscle fibers, distinct marbling, and delicious taste. Physical appearance…
Hollow Glass Balls is a traditional dish from western Shandong, originating in Dongchangfu District. This dish primarily uses flour and white sugar as main ingredients, and is made through multiple processes including scalding the dough with boiling water, initial frying to shape, secondary frying to create the hollow interior, and coating with sugar syrup. The preparation is meticulous, with strict control over heat and careful attention to shaping. The finished product is round as a pearl, with a golden color, crispy texture, and sweet taste. Hollow...
Liaocheng Hanging Oven Sesame Cake is made with finely milled flour. The leavened and unleavened dough are mixed in proportion, kneaded into strips, then rolled, oiled, and pleated before being coiled up. The unleavened dough is used to wrap the coil, which is then shaped into a horseshoe form, dipped in maltose syrup and sesame seeds, and baked in a specially designed hanging oven over indirect heat. The hanging oven has two tiers — the upper tier uses firewood, while the lower tier…
Eight-piece Fried Dough Twists are a small, oval-shaped fried snack where both ends are connected. They are named "Eight-piece" because each piece is divided into eight strips that remain linked at both ends in an oval form. These twists are golden yellow, crispy in texture, and shatter instantly upon hitting the ground — so delicate they can't be picked up. They also have a long shelf life, making them a delicious breakfast staple in Liaocheng. Food type: Specialty snack...
The millennia-old brewing technique of Guo Family Rice Wine in Huangtun Village, Shazhen Town, Dongchangfu District, has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shandong Province. A stone stele unveils a thousand years of charm. In Huangtun Village, Shazhen Town, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng City, there stands a family stele erected in 1900. Despite enduring over a century of vicissitudes, the inscriptions on it remain...
Dongchangfu in Shandong Province and Yangjiabu are known as the two major folk painting markets of Shandong, representing the eastern and western systems of Shandong woodblock New Year paintings, and have enjoyed nationwide fame for a long time. Among them, Dongchangfu woodblock New Year paintings are a branch of the Zhangqiu New Year paintings from Yanggu County, with a very wide range of subject matter, including farming and weaving pictures, scenes of small fishing families, opera stories, and auspicious motifs such as happiness and prosperity…
The ox sinew belt, also known as the cooling belt, is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage. Originating in 1743 during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, it was created by an artisan from Dongchang Prefecture. The ox sinew belt is made from high-quality ox sinew and cowhide sourced from western Shandong, and is meticulously hand-woven using multiple unique traditional folk techniques. It offers coolness and breathability, repels insects, regulates vital energy, and…
【Ginkgo with Poetic Rites】A famous dish of the Confucius Mansion. It gets its name from being made with ginkgo nuts harvested from the trees in front of the “Hall of Poetic Rites” in the Confucius Temple. The “Hall of Poetic Rites” is said to be the place where Confucius taught his son to study the Book of Songs and learn rites, and was later regarded as the site of Confucius’s family teachings. Later, the Hall of Poetic Rites was built as a place to practice rituals before ceremonies honoring Confucius. In front of the hall are two ginkgo trees...
Rubbings are made by inking paper pressed tightly over engraved stone tablets. Qufu is one of China’s major production centers for rubbings. The area boasts abundant rubbing resources, with over 5,000 stone inscriptions preserved from the Western Han Dynasty to various later periods, making it one of the most concentrated regions for stone steles in China. There are many techniques for making rubbings in Qufu, but they generally fall into two categories: brush rubbing and daubing. And…
Kong Family Pastries, like the Kong Family Feast, are a unique and time-honored delicacy passed down through generations. Especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Kong Family Pastries were far superior to the famous pastries sold on the market. These pastries emphasize being freshly baked upon order, aiming for an excellent combination of color, aroma, taste, and appearance. (Qufu) Kong Family Pastries — Peanut Cake selected…
Gorgon fruit, also known as foxnut or "chicken head rice," is an aquatic plant of the Nymphaeaceae family, edible or suitable for brewing alcohol (Jining)...
Canned asparagus has a delicious taste and a tender, palatable texture. It was rated as a provincial premium product in 1980 (Jining)…
Jinhu Brand Preserved Duck Eggs are made from the eggs of Ma ducks from Weishan Lake. They are rich in nutrients, delicious in taste, aid digestion, stimulate appetite, and benefit the lungs. They are exported to more than ten countries and regions including Japan and Hong Kong, and are recognized as a national high-quality branded product (Jining)…
Boxwood carving originated in the early Western Han Dynasty, while ruyi (scepter-like ornaments) date back to the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the craft of boxwood carving had reached near perfection, developing a distinctive artistic style. In 1851 (the first year of the Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty), four families in Qufu—Xu, Yan, Li, and Kong—were engaged in the boxwood carving trade. In 1911, Qufu’s boxwood carving works “Immortals Wishing Longevity” and “Hundred Children Ruyi” won a gold medal at the Paris...
Reeds are a major aquatic economic plant in Weishan Lake. Under normal water levels, their coverage area remains at 300,000 to 350,000 mu, about half of which is managed by Weishan County. Income from reeds accounts for approximately 40% of the total income of farmers around the lake. The primary uses of reeds include weaving, medicinal purposes, and as raw material for papermaking. Reed weaving is one of the main household side…
Halal Sha Soup, also known as "meat porridge," is a traditional local delicacy from the Jining area. It has now become a popular everyday breakfast for locals and boasts a long history. Depending on its ingredients and nutritional value, there are over thirty categories and more than one hundred varieties of Sha Soup, catering to diverse nutritional needs and taste preferences across various consumer groups. The mixed-flavor Sha Soup is savory and slightly spicy; upon closer tasting, it carries a faint bitterness reminiscent of traditional Chinese medicine, leaving a refreshing and sweet aftertaste. Especially notable is its subtle herbal aroma that lingers delightfully. The sweet-flavored Sha Soup is deliciously sweet with a hint of traditional Chinese medicine flavor—sweet, smooth, and refreshing. Upon careful tasting, its sweetness is complemented by a slight bitterness and a touch of spiciness, leaving a refreshing sensation under the tongue and a sweet aftertaste. Sha Soup can be customized according to individual taste preferences, allowing diners to adjust the base soup with their favorite seasonings—sour, sweet, salty, spicy, or umami—offering a wide range of choices. Regular consumption of Sha Soup is believed to strengthen the body, offering benefits such as invigorating the spleen and stomach, nourishing qi and blood, warming the middle energizer, beautifying the skin, dispelling rheumatism, relieving cold pain in the abdomen, and promoting digestion while quenching thirst.
Floating Soup Fish Balls is a delicious dish suitable for all ages. It is made from the finely minced lean meat of silver carp, whitefish, and carp, with skin and bones removed. The minced fish is stirred for a long time in one direction, with a small amount of water added gradually until white foam forms. The mixture is then poached in boiling water. After that, the fish balls are soaked in clean water for some time before being seasoned...
Braised Pork with Rice is a traditional and iconic dish from Jining City, Shandong Province. The braised pork is made by carefully cooking selected fresh pork belly or tenderloin in an earthenware pot over a charcoal fire using a special traditional method. The pork turns a glossy red, with a tender, juicy texture that is rich but not greasy, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth. The rice is...
Jinxian is not only famous for its garlic production but also boasts a 200,000-mu non-polluting vegetable base. Currently, it produces 500 million kilograms of vegetables annually, with over 30 varieties such as onions, celery, cucumbers, and chili peppers available year-round. The county has introduced and cultivated 100,000 mu of onion series from the United States and Japan. In 1996, it was designated by the state as the "Hometown of Onions in China." Jinxian...
Jinxian County in Shandong Province is located in Jining City, the hometown of Confucius and Mencius. It borders Jiangsu to the south, leans against Mount Tai to the north, neighbors Weishan Lake—known as the Lotus Capital—to the east, and connects to Heze, the Peony Capital, to the west. The county administers 8 towns and 4 townships, covering a total area of 885 square kilometers with a population of 600,000. It has 870,000 mu of arable land, with a crop-to-economic ratio of 2:8. Annually, over 500,000 mu are planted with garlic,…