Mencius’ mother moved three times to find the best place for her son’s education, and anti-Japanese hero Qi Jiguang upheld filial piety and loyalty across generations... In Shandong, many historical tales of filial respect for elders have been passed down to this day. May 11 is Mother’s Day—time for all you dutiful children to take Mom to Shandong and experience its culture of maternal love.
The second Sunday of May every year is Mother’s Day. Some tourist cities in Shandong, drawing on their rich heritage of maternal culture, offer plenty of options for children to travel with their moms.
Rushan: Free Entry for Women
The “Maternal Love at Da Ru Shan” brand has gained widespread recognition in Shandong in recent years and has become a top choice for women wondering “where to go” during Mother’s Day.
Visitors to the Shandong Da Ru Shan Coastal Tourism Resort can see many maternal-themed attractions, such as a sculpture shaped like a drop of breast milk and mountain landscapes resembling a mother’s figure.
With spring in full bloom, the Da Ru Shan scenic area is currently holding a Spring Flower Festival, featuring activities like “wild vegetable picking” and “photography contests.” On Mother’s Day, May 11, all female visitors can enter the park for free.
Penglai: A Legacy of Loyalty and Filial Piety
In Penglai, Yantai, the stories of loyalty and filial piety from the family of national hero Qi Jiguang are widely celebrated. The Qi Jiguang Ancestral Home Scenic Area features a 400-year-old “Mother-Son Filial Piety” Memorial Archway, erected by the imperial court to honor Qi Jiguang’s father, Qi Jingtong, and his grandmother, Lady Yan.
When Qi Jingtong was six, his father passed away. His widowed mother, Lady Yan, then 24 years old, remained chaste for life, raising Qi Jingtong into a resolute, upright, and battle-hardened general who achieved numerous military merits. Lady Yan also personally educated Qi Jiguang. In the 17th year of the Jiajing reign (1538), Qi Jingtong, constantly thinking of his mother, “requested a posting in Shandong to better care for her,” a story that became widely known.
During this year’s Mother’s Day, the Qi Jiguang Ancestral Home Scenic Area will organize activities where visitors write letters to their moms, play mother-child interactive games like hoop rolling, spinning tops, and jump rope in the weapons museum, and offer blessings for their mothers in the 400-year-old Qi Jiguang Ancestral Hall.
Zoucheng: Grand Ceremony Honoring Mencius’ Mother
Zoucheng in Jining is the hometown of Mencius, and the story of “Mencius’ Mother Moves Three Times” has influenced generations of Chinese people.
From April 29 to May 3, the 8th Chinese Mother Culture Festival at the Hometown of Mencius was held in Zoucheng. On the morning of April 30, nearly a thousand representatives of Mencius descendants from home and abroad, along with members of the public, attended the ceremony commemorating Mencius’ mother and Mencius.
During this Mother’s Day period, Zoucheng will host events including the opening ceremony and benefit performance of the Chinese Mother Culture Festival, the grand ceremony to worship Mencius’ mother and Mencius, the launch of the Complete Archives of the Meng Family, and the Mencius Maternal Love Temple Fair—bringing outstanding traditional culture into everyday life.