Beautiful Shandong flourishes in the new era

Shandong province has become a pioneer in China's leapfrog development since reform and opening-up, with complete industrial sectors, a convenient transportation network, an advanced agricultural system and remarkable economic and social achievements.

The province has an economy exceeding $1 trillion dollars and per capital GDP is above $10,000.

The total import and export value in Shandong's service sector reached 406.09 billion yuan ($60.08 billion) in 2018, up 15.1 percent year-on-year.

The province, hailed as the cradle of Chinese civilization, has a history of more than 7,000 years. It is the place where Confucius was born, where Mount Tai rose skyward, where the Yellow River empties into the sea and where the Olympic Sailing Games took place.

With a total land area of 158,000 square kilometers and a total ocean area of 159,600 sq kms, the province is home to an abundance of beautiful landscapes.

Qingdao, located in the southeast part of Shandong province, is a beautiful seaside city. Red-tile roofs amid the green trees are iconic landmarks of Qingdao. [Photo/Xinhua]

An aerial photo shows the marvelous view of the Yellow River Estuary Ecotourism Area in Dongying, Shandong province. The area is renowned as the most complete, broadest and youngest wetland ecosystem in the country. [Photo/Xinhua]

The almost upright path leads to the Nantian Gate of Mount Tai in Tai'an, Shandong province. The path, known as "Shibapan", consisting of 1,827 steepest set of stairs, is the most adventurous part while climbing Mount Tai. [Photo/Xinhua]

An aerial photo displays the wonderful landscape of Penglai, a county-level city in Yantai, East China's Shandong province. Lying on the northwest corner of the Shandong Peninsula, the city is a fairyland-like destination brimming with beautiful seas, stunning mountains, long-standing traditions and folk customs, as well as a rich history. [Photo/Xinhua]

China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, also known as SinoTruk, which is headquartered in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, displays its product lineup at an exhibition in Russia. The heavy vehicle manufacturer is the largest heavy vehicle production base in China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shandong is home to high-speed train developer and producer CRRC Qingdao Sifang. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A production base of CIMC Raffles, a maritime engineering equipment supplier in Shandong's high-end maritime manufacturing industry. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Qingdao is a major development center and the home port for China's most advanced deepsea submersible, Jiaolong, which can dive 7,000 meters below the surface of the sea. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A production line at SAIC Motor Corp in Yantai, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]