Zibo
Encyclopedia
Zibo is a prefecture-level city
in central Shandong
province, People's Republic of China
. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan
to the west, Laiwu
and Tai'an
to the southwest, Linyi
to the south, Weifang
to the east, Dongying
to the northeast, and Binzhou
the north.
Located in the middle part of Shandong Province, Zibo is an important transportation hub. Zibo governs 5 districts (Zhangdian, Zichuan, Boshan, Zhoucun and Linzi
) and each of these districts has a distinct downtown
area of their own. The T-shaped city has a total area of 5,938 square kilometers-three counties (Huantai, Gaoqing and Yiyuan) included ; the total population of the city is 4.53 million at the 2010 census, of which nearly 3 million are in the city proper.
Zibo is well known as the historical state of Qi, which had ever been the most populous city in the east about 2000 years ago. Zibo is the birth place of ancient football Cuju
, which according to FIFA
, was the earliest form of the sport. Pu Songling
, a world famous short story writer of Qing Dynasty
, is one of the city's numerous celebrities born and bred here ancient and modern times. As the birthplace of Qi
Culture and because of the abundant nature resources, it is an excellent tourist city in China. Manufacturing
industry holds an important place of the city's economy and of course it has contributed a lot not only to the city itself but also to the whole country since the founding of New China. Some people associate Zibo with ceramics sometimes due to its powerful forces in ceramics manufacturing.
Zibo enjoys fame as of Famous Industrial City, Capital of the Ceramics Production Base and City of Petrochemical Industry. After one hundred years of development, Zibo has a solid industrial foundation. The dominant industries are: petrochemical industry, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, building materials, machinery and textile, etc. High and new-technology industries, such as new materials, fine chemicals, electronics and information, and biological medicines, are developing rapidly.
According to 2007/2008 Global City Competitiveness Report released by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
, Zibo was among the top 20 cities in the world who enjoy the fastest economic growth between 2001 and 2005. According to Oriental Outlook MagazineIssue No.1, 2009, Zibo ranks No.1 on the list of cities with reasonable real estate prices in China, also No.2 on the list of cities with good public security. In 2009, the city was awarded as among "Best 10 Harmonious Cities that enjoy Sustainable Development in China".
of Zibo administers 8 county-level divisions, including 5 districts and 3 counties. What may interests people may be the independence of all the city districts. Actually, each of the city's 5 spots on the left map is a district-leveled center. Most urban functional facilities are equipped in these spots, such as schools, hospitals, hotels, parks, shopping malls and theaters. Between these spots, plants, towns and villages are scattered, which define the specialty of the formation of the whole city. Although every districts in fact cover a larger area than what is circled in these spots, the local inhabitants used to call these spots the name of these district's. have various dialects, which have mineral difference with each other of accent, thus you are allowed to determine which district they come from.
The name of Zibo's districts are:Zhangdian District
(张店区, also the place where the municipal government locate), Zichuan District
(淄川区), Boshan District
(博山区), Linzi District
(临淄区) and Zhoucun District
(周村区). The three counties that are within the jurisdictional boundaries of this city are: Huantai County
(桓台县), Gaoqing County
(高青县) and Yiyuan County
(沂源县).
in the north. It is also bordered by hot coastal tourist cities, Qingdao, Yantai, and Weihai in the east, and the capital city of the province, Jinan in the west.
Zibo is located in the transition zone between mountainous area in central Shangdong and the North China Plain.Its southern area is covered with mid-sized mountains, while the center is hilly. The city's northern territory descends into plain
s. The ratio among mountains,hill and plain is 42%、29.9% and 28.1%.
With the Yihe River originating itself in the southern mountain area, and Yellow River flowing across the northern area, the city has comparatively abundant water resources. The workable reserve of ground water is 1.24 tons/day.
Like other major cities in North China, Zibo has four distinct seasons. January and July are respectively the coldest and hottest month during a year. Zibo enjoy 180 to 220 frost-free days and average annual Hours of Sunshine is 2542.6 to 2832.6 hours. Annual average precipitation of Zibo is 25.2 inches (640.5 mm).
As most Chinese cities, major nation here is no exception. The fourth nationwide census
shows over 99 percent of the total population are Han Chinese
. Besides, there are also 44 minority nationality settled, Huis, Manchus, Mongolians
and Koreans, etc. Mongolians and Manchurians are the only two minority groups that has more than 1,000 people. Jinling Huis Town,which is located at the junction of Zhangdian and Linzi, in one of only four towns named by an ethnic minority in Shandong Province.
In 2008, the per capital disposable income of urban residents is 17,629 yuan, up 11.2% ;the per capital disposable income of rural residents is 7,364 yuan, up 13.9%. The Engel's coefficients that reflects the consumption structure and level of China's urban and rural residents are 32.1% and 35.6% respectively.
Zibo was once the capital of the ancient State of Qi
, the most prosperous state during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States
Periods over 2,000 years ago in China. Lord Huan of Qi
, ruler of Qi, appointed Guan Zhong
, the famous thinker and economist, as his prime minister, and adopted Guan's thoughts and policies to administer his country, reform the economic system and develop relations with other states, After scores of years, Qi became the strongest state for its economic and military strength, and was named as the "state with one thousand chariots" and the "head of the five strongest states". The culture and education undertakings were rather developed in Qi. Both poetry and music were of high level. Linzi District remained its capital for as long as 638 years, and was the biggest city in the orient
.
As the birthplace of the Qi Culture, Zibo has quite a number of cultural scenic spots. In the national city of history and culture, Linzi District, the ruins of the ancient Qi city, the pit for burying the funerary horses and chariots and other famous cultural relics and historic sites, have been discovered and unearthed. All of them exemplify the past prosperity of the Qi State. The ancient city of Qi, one of the first batch of cultural relics protection units, is rich in cultural relics and historical sites, and, therefore, has won the title of the "Underground Museum".
In 2004, FIFA
President Sepp Blatter
visited Zibo to celebrate FIFA
's 100 year anniversary. FIFA has since then recognized the city as the birthplace of football
.
of low vowel is particularly deep in the mouth, and most areas do not have retroflex consonant except part of Linzi District. Zibo dialect do not have much features comparing with the mandarin when it comes to the sentence patterns, while differences may occur in the pattern people ask questions and their expression to probability of actions.
As minor differences do exist, Zibo dialect may be divided into three major sections according to the administration districts: Boshan-Zichuan section-the south section; Linzi section-the eastern section; Huantai-Zhangdian-Zhoucun section-the northern west secion. It is always considered that the longer to the south that people live, the stronger their accent is.
Zibo is also home to diverse Restaurants of other Chinese cuisine branches just like many other cities in the PRC. Western restaurants are also emerging here and there in all districts of this city to cater for a growing diversity of needs from the people.
is the wonderful work in Shan Dong Province. The history of production of colored glaze in Bo Shan is very long and better known. In the years of Hong Wu of Ming Dynasty, the emperor’s servants set up “Out Factory” to produce colored glaze for imperial family’s use such as “blue and green curtain”. By the end of Ming Dynasty
, the folk colored glaze was produced and developed day by day, too. In the year of Jingtai there were four big stoves in Xi Yejie Street to produce enamel
material. Before and after the period of Jiajing, the colored glaze products such as pearl light, pearl rejecting, bed-curtain and mosquito net hook and so on were made by the master of Bo Shan and gradually form the colored glaze trade. In 1617(the 46th year of Wan Li), some people led by Sun Yanshou initiated to organize the guild of colored glaze which is the first organization in Yanshan Town. The colored glaze products returned the transportation and sale to Beijing and the southern parts of China besides selling in locality.
, prosperous through the Han
and Tang
Dynasties, is the famous passageway in China's history for economic and cultural exchange between East and West. As a result of textual research, Shandong area, with Zibo as its center, was the major place of silk supply at that time, and was one of the origins of the "Silk Road", Today, Zibo, as producer of silk and light textile products, remains an important place in the whole country and enjoys tremendous reputation on the market both at home and abroad..
Zibo abounds in natural resources. More than 50 kinds of mineral reserves have been found and coal, iron, bauxite
, coal clay, chemical limestone, pottery clay, etc. are the main place of origin in Shandong Province because of their big reserves, high grade, and broad distribution. Zibo’s north part is abundant in petroleum and natural gas. The city was initially established as a mining city, but now it is undergoing technological upgrading and industrial transformation for further development. Only a few years before (maybe around 2002 or before), on account of high proportion of heavy industry and carelessness about industrial pollution, the city paid a price on both its environment and economics. Afterwards, people of this city made their minds to improve the environment. Small coal mines and chemical factories are closed,while all big plants are asked to install sewage
disposal to get control of gas and dust. Nowadays Zibo is proud to have the first three municipal sewage treatment plants that with the treated water reaches the Grade-A1 standard of "Integrated wastewater discharge standard"GB8978—1996. Air here is also widely acknowledged to be much better now.
In 2008, the total industrial output value of Zibo reached 532 billion yuan RMB. After one hundred years of development, Zibo has a solid industrial foundation. Since 1992, Zibo has always been one of the top 50 cities in China with the greatest comprehensive strength. In 2008, its GDP was 231.7 billion yuan RMB, ranking just below Qingdao
, Yantai
, Jinan
and Weifang
within the province. The ratio among the agriculture, industry and service sectors was 3.5%, 64.8%, 31.7%, which indicate the city still has a lot to do to readjust its industrial structure.
s, is among the busiest railway stations in Shandong
province. As of 1 July 2009, Zibo Railway Station has 103 trains stopping daily. If you catch a multiple unit
train at Zibo Railway Station, it will only take you 1 hour to Jinan
, 2 hours to Qingdao
and 4 hours to Beijing
.
buses are serving over than 250 routes. With a "Qikatong" card traveling by bus in the downtown area, passengers could get a discount of 10% to 40%. Now Zibo is undergoing restructuring of its public transit system, aiming at intensive management of higher efficiency and more professional service.
system, which belongs to a bigger education system of the nation. School districts are divided according to both neighborhoods and administrative districts. The number of high schools is 42.
There are 14 institutions of higher education
, among them only Shandong University of Technology and Wanjie Medical College are able to confer the bachelor's degree. There is also postgraduate education
in Shandong University of Technology. The education system of Zibo offers more than 30 key majors, including mechanics, electronics and informatics, biological pharmacological science, textile
and clothes and logistics
, and can provide local enterprises with 30,000 specialized technical personnel every year.
with:
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
in central Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
province, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
to the west, Laiwu
Laiwu
Laiwu is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. The smallest prefecture-level city in the province, it borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east and Tai'an to the southwest....
and Tai'an
Tai'an
Tai'an is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, People's Republic of China.Centered around Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Laiwu to the northeast, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng to the extreme west and Jining to the south...
to the southwest, Linyi
Linyi
Linyi is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The largest prefecture-level city in Shandong both by area and total population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo to the north, Tai'an to the northwest, Jining to the...
to the south, Weifang
Weifang
Weifang is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the Laizhou Bay to the north.-History:Weifang is a historical city...
to the east, Dongying
Dongying
Dongying is a prefecture-level city on the northern coast of Shandong province in Eastern China. Located around the mouth of the Yellow River, Dongying borders Binzhou to the west, Zibo to the southwest, and Weifang to the south...
to the northeast, and Binzhou
Binzhou
Binzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River with two arms extended to the southern bank, Binzhou borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southwest, Dezhou to the west, Zibo to the south,...
the north.
Located in the middle part of Shandong Province, Zibo is an important transportation hub. Zibo governs 5 districts (Zhangdian, Zichuan, Boshan, Zhoucun and Linzi
Linzi
Linzi was the capital of Qi from 859 BC to 221 BC during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period in China. The ruins of the city lie in modern day Linzi District, Shandong, China. The city was one of the largest and richest in China during the Spring and Autumn Period...
) and each of these districts has a distinct downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
area of their own. The T-shaped city has a total area of 5,938 square kilometers-three counties (Huantai, Gaoqing and Yiyuan) included ; the total population of the city is 4.53 million at the 2010 census, of which nearly 3 million are in the city proper.
Zibo is well known as the historical state of Qi, which had ever been the most populous city in the east about 2000 years ago. Zibo is the birth place of ancient football Cuju
Cuju
Cuju is an ancient code of football with similarities to association football. It is seen by some to be a forerunner of modern football and originated in China, and was also played in Korea, Japan and Vietnam.-History:...
, which according to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, was the earliest form of the sport. Pu Songling
Pu Songling
Pu Songling was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.-Biography:Pu was born into a poor landlord-merchant family from Zichuan...
, a world famous short story writer of Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, is one of the city's numerous celebrities born and bred here ancient and modern times. As the birthplace of Qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
Culture and because of the abundant nature resources, it is an excellent tourist city in China. Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
industry holds an important place of the city's economy and of course it has contributed a lot not only to the city itself but also to the whole country since the founding of New China. Some people associate Zibo with ceramics sometimes due to its powerful forces in ceramics manufacturing.
Zibo enjoys fame as of Famous Industrial City, Capital of the Ceramics Production Base and City of Petrochemical Industry. After one hundred years of development, Zibo has a solid industrial foundation. The dominant industries are: petrochemical industry, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, building materials, machinery and textile, etc. High and new-technology industries, such as new materials, fine chemicals, electronics and information, and biological medicines, are developing rapidly.
According to 2007/2008 Global City Competitiveness Report released by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , established in 1977, is the premier and highest academic research organization in the fields of philosophy and social sciences as well as a national center for comprehensive studies in the People's Republic of China. It was described by Foreign Policy...
, Zibo was among the top 20 cities in the world who enjoy the fastest economic growth between 2001 and 2005. According to Oriental Outlook MagazineIssue No.1, 2009, Zibo ranks No.1 on the list of cities with reasonable real estate prices in China, also No.2 on the list of cities with good public security. In 2009, the city was awarded as among "Best 10 Harmonious Cities that enjoy Sustainable Development in China".
Administration
The prefecture-level cityPrefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of Zibo administers 8 county-level divisions, including 5 districts and 3 counties. What may interests people may be the independence of all the city districts. Actually, each of the city's 5 spots on the left map is a district-leveled center. Most urban functional facilities are equipped in these spots, such as schools, hospitals, hotels, parks, shopping malls and theaters. Between these spots, plants, towns and villages are scattered, which define the specialty of the formation of the whole city. Although every districts in fact cover a larger area than what is circled in these spots, the local inhabitants used to call these spots the name of these district's. have various dialects, which have mineral difference with each other of accent, thus you are allowed to determine which district they come from.
The name of Zibo's districts are:Zhangdian District
Zhangdian District
Zhangdian is the central city district of Zibo city, Shandong, People's Republic of China.It contains the administrative offices of Zibo central government, and has major rail and bus stations. The outer area is highly industrialized. The central area is a mixture of high rise office buildings,...
(张店区, also the place where the municipal government locate), Zichuan District
Zichuan District
The Zichuan District is one of eight divisions within the city of Zibo in the Chinese province of Shandong. As the largest district of Zibo, it is composed of a central urban zone of over 23 square kilometers...
(淄川区), Boshan District
Boshan District
-Description:BoShan is called a district in Zibo City, but actually BoShan is a small city on its own with a population of about 400,000 people. It is about 30 kilometers south from the urban center of Zibo City, Zhang Dian....
(博山区), Linzi District
Linzi District
The Linzi District is part of Zibo, a prefecture-level city central Shandong province, China.Linzi was the capital of ancient State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of Zhou Dynasty.There are many petro-chemical refineries in this area, some which are located...
(临淄区) and Zhoucun District
Zhoucun District
Zhoucun district is a town and district of agricultural land inside Zibo city. Its main industry is textiles and furniture manufacture. The centre of the commercial district has a recently rebuilt and refurbished area with traditional buildings.Some of the filming for Zhang Yimou's film To Live...
(周村区). The three counties that are within the jurisdictional boundaries of this city are: Huantai County
Huantai County
Huantai County is a county of Zibo City in north-central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is located north of downtown Zibo.The population in 1999 was 482,683....
(桓台县), Gaoqing County
Gaoqing County
Gaoqing County is a county of northern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is the northernmost division of Zibo City.The population in 1999 was 355405.- External links :*...
(高青县) and Yiyuan County
Yiyuan County
Jiangyin is a county in China's Shandong province who located in the deep Tai-yi Mountains. Under the jurisdiciton of Zibo City, Yiyuan is the southest county within Zibo. It has population of 0.5537 million in 2003, of which 104,200 lives in the county town...
(沂源县).
Geography and climate
Zibo is in the center of Shandong Province, neighboring Mt. Tai in the south and backing the Yellow RiverYellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
in the north. It is also bordered by hot coastal tourist cities, Qingdao, Yantai, and Weihai in the east, and the capital city of the province, Jinan in the west.
Zibo is located in the transition zone between mountainous area in central Shangdong and the North China Plain.Its southern area is covered with mid-sized mountains, while the center is hilly. The city's northern territory descends into plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s. The ratio among mountains,hill and plain is 42%、29.9% and 28.1%.
With the Yihe River originating itself in the southern mountain area, and Yellow River flowing across the northern area, the city has comparatively abundant water resources. The workable reserve of ground water is 1.24 tons/day.
Climate
Zibo is located in a warm, temperate zone, and bears a semi-humid and semi-dry continental climate.Like other major cities in North China, Zibo has four distinct seasons. January and July are respectively the coldest and hottest month during a year. Zibo enjoy 180 to 220 frost-free days and average annual Hours of Sunshine is 2542.6 to 2832.6 hours. Annual average precipitation of Zibo is 25.2 inches (640.5 mm).
Demographics
According to statistics, by the end of 2006,there are 4,181,260 people live in Zibo, of which 2,102,819 are male and 2,078,441 are female. The sex ratio is 101.17. Dead rate of 2006 is 5.92‰, while the birth rate is a little higher, saying 8.81‰. Then the natural growth rate of population that year is 2.90‰.The area had a population density of 704.15 per square kilometer.As most Chinese cities, major nation here is no exception. The fourth nationwide census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
shows over 99 percent of the total population are Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
. Besides, there are also 44 minority nationality settled, Huis, Manchus, Mongolians
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
and Koreans, etc. Mongolians and Manchurians are the only two minority groups that has more than 1,000 people. Jinling Huis Town,which is located at the junction of Zhangdian and Linzi, in one of only four towns named by an ethnic minority in Shandong Province.
In 2008, the per capital disposable income of urban residents is 17,629 yuan, up 11.2% ;the per capital disposable income of rural residents is 7,364 yuan, up 13.9%. The Engel's coefficients that reflects the consumption structure and level of China's urban and rural residents are 32.1% and 35.6% respectively.
History
Qi (state)
Qi was a powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States in ancient China. Its capital was Linzi, now part of the modern day city of Zibo in Shandong Province....
, the most prosperous state during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
Periods over 2,000 years ago in China. Lord Huan of Qi
Lord Huan of Qi
Duke Huan of Qi was the best-known ruler of the state of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His ancestral name is Jiang,clan name is Qi，given name is Xiǎobái and he was the brother of Duke Xiang. His clan was Lǚ...
, ruler of Qi, appointed Guan Zhong
Guan Zhong
Guǎn Zhòng was a politician and statesman during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His given name was Yíwú . Zhong was his courtesy name. Recommended by Bao Shuya, he was appointed Prime Minister by Duke Huan of Qi in 685 BC.-Achievements:Guan Zhong modernized the Qi State by...
, the famous thinker and economist, as his prime minister, and adopted Guan's thoughts and policies to administer his country, reform the economic system and develop relations with other states, After scores of years, Qi became the strongest state for its economic and military strength, and was named as the "state with one thousand chariots" and the "head of the five strongest states". The culture and education undertakings were rather developed in Qi. Both poetry and music were of high level. Linzi District remained its capital for as long as 638 years, and was the biggest city in the orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
.
As the birthplace of the Qi Culture, Zibo has quite a number of cultural scenic spots. In the national city of history and culture, Linzi District, the ruins of the ancient Qi city, the pit for burying the funerary horses and chariots and other famous cultural relics and historic sites, have been discovered and unearthed. All of them exemplify the past prosperity of the Qi State. The ancient city of Qi, one of the first batch of cultural relics protection units, is rich in cultural relics and historical sites, and, therefore, has won the title of the "Underground Museum".
In 2004, FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
visited Zibo to celebrate FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
's 100 year anniversary. FIFA has since then recognized the city as the birthplace of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
Dialect
Zibo dialect has classic features of Northern Chinese but also has specific characteristics of its own. In Zibo dialect, points of articulationof low vowel is particularly deep in the mouth, and most areas do not have retroflex consonant except part of Linzi District. Zibo dialect do not have much features comparing with the mandarin when it comes to the sentence patterns, while differences may occur in the pattern people ask questions and their expression to probability of actions.
As minor differences do exist, Zibo dialect may be divided into three major sections according to the administration districts: Boshan-Zichuan section-the south section; Linzi section-the eastern section; Huantai-Zhangdian-Zhoucun section-the northern west secion. It is always considered that the longer to the south that people live, the stronger their accent is.
Cuisine
Traditional Zibo cuisine is part of Shandong Cuisine although Zibo cuisine is, in fact, not a real branch of the Lu Cuisine (Shandong cuisine), whilst Boshan Cuisine is. Boshan cuisine restaurants can only be found in Zibo, and nearby places. Featured local snacks, including Zhou Cun Pancake, Shi Ha Ma Dumpling, Vegetable Pancake, Sauced Mutton, and Bean-curd Case (fried bean-curd stuffed with vegetables and meat), enjoy a good reputation among residents and tourists.Zibo is also home to diverse Restaurants of other Chinese cuisine branches just like many other cities in the PRC. Western restaurants are also emerging here and there in all districts of this city to cater for a growing diversity of needs from the people.
Traditional Drama
The "Five-Voiced Drama" is a unique kind of local drama that originated in central Shandong and was once populous among the folks here. This form of art got its name because the show is often performed by 4-5 people, and the performance is featured by gorgeous singing tunes and vivid lyrics. The staight performance and the lacal syle also help it to be distinguishing from other Chinese Duamas. The plays that are acknowledged to namy people include Wang Xiao Gan Jiao(Salesboy), Wang Erjie Si FU(Lonely lady) and so on. Zibo Five-voiced Drama Troup is the only theatrical troup all around the country that professionally perform this drama. By far, Five-Voiced Drama has been listed as a "National Intangible Cultural Heritage".Artware
Boshan colored glazeCeramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
is the wonderful work in Shan Dong Province. The history of production of colored glaze in Bo Shan is very long and better known. In the years of Hong Wu of Ming Dynasty, the emperor’s servants set up “Out Factory” to produce colored glaze for imperial family’s use such as “blue and green curtain”. By the end of Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, the folk colored glaze was produced and developed day by day, too. In the year of Jingtai there were four big stoves in Xi Yejie Street to produce enamel
Enamel paint
Enamel paint is paint that air dries to a hard, usually glossy, finish, used for coating surfaces that are outdoors or otherwise subject to hard wear or variations in temperature; it should not be confused with decorated objects in "painted enamel", where vitreous enamel is applied with brushes and...
material. Before and after the period of Jiajing, the colored glaze products such as pearl light, pearl rejecting, bed-curtain and mosquito net hook and so on were made by the master of Bo Shan and gradually form the colored glaze trade. In 1617(the 46th year of Wan Li), some people led by Sun Yanshou initiated to organize the guild of colored glaze which is the first organization in Yanshan Town. The colored glaze products returned the transportation and sale to Beijing and the southern parts of China besides selling in locality.
Honors earned
- National Hygienic City (2006)--- National Patriotic (Public) Health Campaign Commission of P.R. China
- National Garden City (2005)---Ministry of Construction of P.R. China
- Best Tourism City in China (2001)---National Tourism Administration of P.R. China
- Historical and Cultural City (1994)---State Council of P.R. China
Tourist Attractions
Zibo enjoys abundant historical and cultural sites of interest. The Linzi Museum of Ancient Chariots, the Museum of the History of the State of Qi, the Zibo City Museum and the Zibo Museum of Ceramics are the most recommendable places for tourists who want to learn about Zibo's long history and about the Qi Culture. Yuanshan National Forest Park, situated southwest of Baoshan District in Zibo, is a spot worth visiting. It consists of the Great Wall of the Qi State, the grass skiing field, Dinosaur Valley and a folk garden. The Great Wall of the Qi State was built by the Qin State during the Spring-and-Autumn and Warring States Periods over 2,500 years ago.Economy
The Silk RoadSilk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
, prosperous through the Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
Dynasties, is the famous passageway in China's history for economic and cultural exchange between East and West. As a result of textual research, Shandong area, with Zibo as its center, was the major place of silk supply at that time, and was one of the origins of the "Silk Road", Today, Zibo, as producer of silk and light textile products, remains an important place in the whole country and enjoys tremendous reputation on the market both at home and abroad..
Zibo abounds in natural resources. More than 50 kinds of mineral reserves have been found and coal, iron, bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
, coal clay, chemical limestone, pottery clay, etc. are the main place of origin in Shandong Province because of their big reserves, high grade, and broad distribution. Zibo’s north part is abundant in petroleum and natural gas. The city was initially established as a mining city, but now it is undergoing technological upgrading and industrial transformation for further development. Only a few years before (maybe around 2002 or before), on account of high proportion of heavy industry and carelessness about industrial pollution, the city paid a price on both its environment and economics. Afterwards, people of this city made their minds to improve the environment. Small coal mines and chemical factories are closed,while all big plants are asked to install sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
disposal to get control of gas and dust. Nowadays Zibo is proud to have the first three municipal sewage treatment plants that with the treated water reaches the Grade-A1 standard of "Integrated wastewater discharge standard"GB8978—1996. Air here is also widely acknowledged to be much better now.
In 2008, the total industrial output value of Zibo reached 532 billion yuan RMB. After one hundred years of development, Zibo has a solid industrial foundation. Since 1992, Zibo has always been one of the top 50 cities in China with the greatest comprehensive strength. In 2008, its GDP was 231.7 billion yuan RMB, ranking just below Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, Yantai
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
, Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
and Weifang
Weifang
Weifang is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the Laizhou Bay to the north.-History:Weifang is a historical city...
within the province. The ratio among the agriculture, industry and service sectors was 3.5%, 64.8%, 31.7%, which indicate the city still has a lot to do to readjust its industrial structure.
Transportation
As an important traffic hub of Shandong province, Zibo enjoys convenient transportation. The Jiaoji Railway, Zhangbo Railway, Zidong Railway and Xintai Railway form a cross in Zibo while the Jiqing Expressway and Binlai Expressway form another cross. The center of Zibo is only 70 km away from the Jinan International Airport, 210 km away from the Qingdao International Airport and 260 km away from the Qingdao Seaport. Every district and county has expressway connections. At the National Trade Building located in Liuquan Road of Zhangdian, airport shuttle bus service is offered and even you can get your boarding pass exchanged with a ticket.Railway
37 railway stations in large and small sizes are in service nowadays. Zibo Railway Station, lying on the Jiaozhou–Jinan and Zibo–Dongying RailwayZibo–Dongying Railway
The Zibo–Dongying Railway or Zidong Railway , also called the Zhangdian–Dongying Railway or Zhangdong Railway, is a railroad in Shandong Province of northern China, between Zibo and Dongying. The railway has a total length of . and was completed in 1972. The line branches off of the...
s, is among the busiest railway stations in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
province. As of 1 July 2009, Zibo Railway Station has 103 trains stopping daily. If you catch a multiple unit
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
train at Zibo Railway Station, it will only take you 1 hour to Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
, 2 hours to Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
and 4 hours to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Freeways and Highways
- Jiqing Expressway runs west from JinanJinanJinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
through Zibo to QingdaoQingdao' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
. - Binlai Expressway begins from BinzhouBinzhouBinzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River with two arms extended to the southern bank, Binzhou borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southwest, Dezhou to the west, Zibo to the south,...
. It intersects Jiqing Expressway northwest of downtown Zhangdian and runs south to LaiwuLaiwuLaiwu is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. The smallest prefecture-level city in the province, it borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east and Tai'an to the southwest....
. - National Highway 309 starts at Rongcheng within ShandongShandong' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and ends in LanzhouLanzhouLanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
, GansuGansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Province, routing though 6 provinces. It has a total length of 2,208 kilometers. - National Highway 205 starts at ShanhaiguanShanhaiguan DistrictShanhaiguan District is a district of the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, People's Republic of China, named after the pass of the Great Wall within the district, Shanhai Pass...
，HebeiHebei' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
province and has a terminal at GuangzhouGuangzhouGuangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, which has a length of 3160 kilometers.It passes by 8 provinces.
Mass transit
Mass transit in the region is provided by bus services. More than 2,500 large and medium-sized diesel buses, CNGCompressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
buses are serving over than 250 routes. With a "Qikatong" card traveling by bus in the downtown area, passengers could get a discount of 10% to 40%. Now Zibo is undergoing restructuring of its public transit system, aiming at intensive management of higher efficiency and more professional service.
Education
Zibo is a national “advanced city invigorating itself through science and technology”, “cultural model city” and “technology-intensive area”. Within the city's boundaries, 443,000 (data of 2008) students from Grade 1 to Grade 9 are taught in 379 primary schools and 169 middle schools respectively under the compulsory educationCompulsory education
Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all persons.-Antiquity to Medieval Era:Although Plato's The Republic is credited with having popularized the concept of compulsory education in Western intellectual thought, every parent in Judea since Moses's Covenant with...
system, which belongs to a bigger education system of the nation. School districts are divided according to both neighborhoods and administrative districts. The number of high schools is 42.
There are 14 institutions of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, among them only Shandong University of Technology and Wanjie Medical College are able to confer the bachelor's degree. There is also postgraduate education
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
in Shandong University of Technology. The education system of Zibo offers more than 30 key majors, including mechanics, electronics and informatics, biological pharmacological science, textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
and clothes and logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
, and can provide local enterprises with 30,000 specialized technical personnel every year.
Twin towns — sister cities
Zibo is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
| City | Region | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Bratsk Bratsk Bratsk is a city in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River near the vast Bratsk Reservoir. Population: Although the name sounds like the Russian word for 'brother' , it actually comes from 'bratskiye lyudi', an old name for the Buryats.-History:The first Europeans in the area arrived... |
 Irkutsk Oblast |
 Russia |
| Erie Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000... |
 Pennsylvania |
 United States |
| Gwangju | South Jeolla |  South Korea |
| Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod is one of Russia's most historic cities and the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city lies along the Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen... |
 Novgorod Oblast |
Russia |
| Mandaue | Cebu Cebu Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands... |
 Philippines |