Major Economic Indicators (2010)
Dongying is seated in the northern part of Shandong Province, in the Yellow River Delta. The city neighbors Laizhou Bay to the east and Bohai Bay to the north. The Yellow River, which traverses across nine provinces, meets the Bohai Sea in the city. Dongying borders Weifang to the south, Binzhou to the west and Zibo to the southwest.
The Circum-Bohai-Sea Highway goes through the city, cutting the drive time from Bohai to Qingdao and the provincial city Jinan to less than 3 hours. The Zibo-Dongying Railway, the Jinan-Qingdao Railway link the city with other major cities in Shandong Province. It takes about 3 hours to get from Dongying to Qingdao Airport, Jinan Port and Qingdao Port. Qingdao Port, the fifth largest port by cargo traffic in 2009 in China, handled 315 million tons of cargo and 10.26 million TEUs in 2009.
Dongying has rich oil and gas resources. Shengli Oilfield, the second largest oilfield in China, was discovered in Shengli, a county of Dongying. Now it covers exploration areas in Dongying, Binzhou and other cities. With a long coastline, Dongying also has rich aquatic resources. Over 640 species of aquatic life, such as waver, saury and various algae, have been found in the coastline along the city.
Different parts of Dongying have different histories. The southern part of Dongying was inhabited by the human beings starting about 5,000 years ago, the western part-Lijin county was founded during the Spring-and-Autumn Period (770BC-403BC), and the northern part was formed by Yellow River soil deposits several hundred years ago. From the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-770BC) to the Warring States Period (403BC-221BC), the region belonged to the Qi State. Since then it has been under the administration of different states. In 1983, Dongying City was set up for the development of China’s petroleum industry.
The most recommendable scenic spot in Dongying is the Swan Lake Scenic Spot, which is located 15 km southeast of Dongying. The Swan Lake Scenic Spot was built on a vast water reservoir dotted with islands. A large number of swans dwell in this area every year from November to April.
Tourists should also visit Dongying Historical Museum, the Science Exhibition Hall of Shengli Oilfield, Shengli Yellow River Bridge, and Yellow River Estuary. Southern Song Main Hall is located in the Dongying Historical Museum. It is a wooden building from AD1128. The delicate local dishes, such as Yellow River Crispy Fish, Peacock San Xian, Lijin Paozi and Huanghe Dao Kou Fish, are also attractive to visitors.
