| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Various forms ofStandard Chinese | |
| Religion | |
| Ancestral worship,Taoism,Buddhism,Christianity,Atheism, etc. |
Thepeople of Shandong province orShandong people (simplified Chinese:山东人;traditional Chinese:山東人;pinyin:Shāndōng rén) refers to those who are native toShandong province, the majority (99%) are classified asHan Chinese. They speak various forms of Chinese such asJilu,Jiaoliao, andZhongyuan. There is a small Shandong community inSingapore andMalaysia.[1] Nine-tenths of the earlyoverseas Chinese in Korea also came from Shandong.[2] Shandong citizens, are also known to have the tallest average height of any Chinese province (or administrative equivalents).[3] As of 2010, 16- to 18-year-old male students inYantai measured 176.4 cm (5'9.5), while female students measured 164 cm (5'4.5).[4] Provincial average for both genders would be about 1 cm less.
Modern-dayShandong is primarily located in the territories ofQi During theWarring States Period. It was the last annexed kingdom by the Qin kingdom beforeQin dynasty. After 15 years, the unified Qin Empire was toppled by peasant revolts (Chen Sheng Wu Guang Uprising etc.) and then split intoEighteen Kingdoms. On present day Shandong's territories, 3 feudal states came into existence, Jiaodong (胶东), Jibei (济北) and Qi(齐). After about 5 years (seeChu-Han Contention), the Han army led by KingLiu Bang united those kingdoms and startedHan dynasty.
After 400 years, the Han dynasty fell and the empire scattered and after the disintegration of the Cao Wei dynasty, the area of present-day Shandong was ruled by theTuoba Clan of theXianbei Tribe during theEastern Wei. The Eastern Wei eventually fell to theNorthern Qi dynasty which lasted 27 years before it was overtaken by theNorthern Zhou of central China.Emperor Wen of Sui was able to recapture ruling power to the Han Chinese from the Xianbei and establish theSui dynasty after centuries of Xianbei rule and division between different states, becomingEmperor Wen of Sui.
After unifying theNorthern and Southern dynasties, the Sui dynasty paved the way for theTang dynasty and many years of prosperity and peace. The Tang dynasty fell about 300 years after its inception. The empire again, fragmented, this time into many different states whose borders are roughly the outline of the present day provinces. During this time Shandong was known as theLater Liang (Five Dynasties) Kingdom.
In Shandong cities throughout the 18th century, there were sizable foreign settlements by the British, Germans, Americans, and Russians. For 20 years prior to the end ofWorld War I, the Germans controlled Shandong. After the defeat of Germany in WWI by the Allied forces, the cities ofChefoo andQingdao were handed to the Japanese who used the port cities for their summer fleets. This led to theShandong Problem which added to the ignition of theMay Fourth Movement and theNew Culture Movement— paving the way for the birth of modern China.
Shandong cuisine is one of the "8 Great Regional Cuisines" of China. It is noted for uses of fresh seafood, soy sauce, and spices(e.g., garlic, scallion).[5]
Vast fertile plain enabled Shandong to be a major wheat-production zone in China, so many Shandong people enjoy wheat-based food. There is a stereotype that Shandong people like to eat giantMantou(for the entire Shandong) orJianbing(Jiaodong excluded).
There are 2 main variants of Shandong cuisine with vast differences: the coastal style(normally referring toJiaodong) and the inland style (except for Jiaodong).
Inland-styled dishes are generally salty, with a prevalence of light-colored sauces, and renowned for its adept skills in slicing. Meanwhile, coastal-styled dishes are known for being fresh, tender(describing meat and seafood) and mellow.
Both styles of Shandong cuisine are representative among all Northern Chinese cooking styles and its techniques have been widely absorbed by imperial cuisine styles(e.g.,Peking Duck).
Evidence of theBeixin culture (5300 BC to 4100 BC), theDawenkou culture (4100 BC to 2600 BC) and theLongshan Culture (3000 BC to 2000 BC) was found in Shandong province, which provides evidence that comparatively advanced handcraft industry, agriculture and animal husbandry was prevalent in Shandong 4000 to 7000 years ago.[6][7]
Additionally, Shandong is home to some of the oldest Chinese inscriptions: Dawenkou Pottery Inscription and Longshan Pottery Inscription; the largest prehistoric settlement found to date: Chengziya (城子崖) Archeological Site; the oldest section of the Great Wall in China: theGreat Wall of Qi State; Huantai Countyoracle bone script, among the oldest found in China, were all found in Shandong. According to the research of archaeologists, Shandong was the main hub for silk manufacture from the Han dynasty to the Tang dynasty, and it was the start of the ancientSilk Road.[8]
