Major Economic Indicators (2010)
Binzhou is situated in the northern part of Shandong Province. Lying in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the city borders Dongying to the east, Zibo to the south, Dezhou and the provincial capital of Jinan to the west and the Bohai Sea to the north. It covers an area of 9,600 sq km and has a population of 3.7 million. Enjoying a temperate monsoon climate, Dongying has four distinct seasons with hot summers and chilly winters.
The transportation in Binzhou is convenient. The Jinan-Qingdao Highway, the Beijing-Binzhou Highway, State Highway 205 and State Highway 220 connect the city with Beijing, Tianjin and other cities in Jiangsu Province and Shandong Province. The construction of a 10,000-tonnage wharf in Binzhou Port was completed in 2007. Qingdao Port, the 6th largest port by cargo traffic in 2009 in China, is merely 3.5 hours' drive from the city. It takes only 1 hour to drive from Binzhou to Jinan Airport and 3 hours to Qingdao Airport.
Binzhou has abundant natural resources, such as fresh water, oil and natural gas. The Yellow River, running across the city, ensures the sufficient fresh water. The city is an important exploration area of the Shengli Oilfield, the second largest oilfield in China.
Binzhou is one of the origin places for Yellow River culture and Qi Culture. During the Shang Dynasty, Pugu State was founded in the territory. During the Five Dynasties Period, it was called Binzhou, which means “a county bordering the sea”.
Binzhou is famous for its traditional fork arts, which include Lv Opera (Lv Ju), Binzhou paper cutting and Huji Shuhui (a gathering of storytellers at Huji Town). Lv Opera originated in Boxing County of Binzhou. Paper-cutting is a visual art and Chinese handcraft that has a history of over 1,000 years. The tools in paper-cutting are just paper and scissors or a knife. The paper-cutting is always used for decoration during Chinese traditional festivals, such as Chinese New Year. Huji Shuhui, a meeting of storytellers, flourished as early as in Qing Dynasty and involved competitions of Quyi (a kind of folk talking and singing art).
Binzhou has diverse cultural and historical relics as well as beautiful natural landscapes. The hottest tourist attractions in Binzhou include the Former Residence of Sunzi, Dakou River, Zhangba Buddha Statue, Weishi Manor and Mada Lake. The former residence of Sunzi was originally the Sun Wu Ancestral Temple built in Yuan Dynasty in memory of Sun Zi, the author of “the Art of War of Sunzi”. Sun Zi, also called Sun Wu, was a military commander during the Spring-and-Autumn Period. “The Art of War of Sunzi” is considered the most influential work on military strategies, treaties and tactics. The Zhangba Buddha Statue is also called Xing Guo Temple Statue. Because the stature is 1.8 zhang (a Chinese linear measure) tall, it got the name Zhangba (8 is pronounced “ba” in Chinese).
Mutton Chops is the most famous local dish in Binzhou. It is cooked with Yangxin (a county of Binzhou) mutton chops and seasonings such as shallot, ginger, aniseed, fennel, and sugar. It is fresh and delicious.
National Hygienic City (2005)-National Patriotic Public Health Campaign Committee of P. R. China
