Dezhou City Introduction

Dezhou is located in the northwest of Shandong Province, on the north bank of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Bordering Beijing and Tianjin to the north and facing Jinan to the south, it serves as Shandong’s "Northern Gateway". The Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou runs through its territory, earning it the time-honored reputations of "Thoroughfare to Nine Regions" and "Gateway to the Imperial Capital". It enjoys a superior geographical location, benefiting from convenient connections between the north and south, as well as smooth links spanning the east and west.

Boasting a long history and outstanding local talents, Dezhou nurtures age-old Yellow River, Yan-Zhao and Qilu civilizations. Numerous legendary figures have left glorious footprints here: Yu the Great, who passed his home three times without entering while taming floods; Hou Yi, the hero who shot down the nine suns; Dong Zhongshu, who advocated "rejecting all schools of thought and respecting only Confucianism"; Dongfang Shuo, the master of witty humor; and great calligraphers Yan Zhenqing and Xing Tong. Local specialties including Dezhou braised chicken, golden thread jujubes, Baodian braised donkey meat, Dezhou black pottery, Gubeichun liquor, Yucheng red jute, Ningjin cloisonné and Qingyun straw braids are renowned at home and abroad.

A tourist city blending thousand-year heritage with modern vitality, Dezhou boasts abundant and diverse tourism resources. Jinan Spring City Ocean Polar World in Qihe County houses the world’s largest indoor aquarium. The Tomb of the King of Sulu, China’s sole mausoleum of a foreign monarch, bears witness to Dezhou’s long history of foreign exchanges. China Sun Valley Scenic Area allows visitors to marvel at solar culture and explore the wonders of future new energy lifestyles. Xiajin Old Yellow River Forest Park features ancient trees standing for millennia, like scrolls of ancient books recording dramatic vicissitudes of land and sea. Haidao Golden Mountain Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in northern China, stands as an architectural masterpiece. Built in memory of Dong Zhongshu, the great Confucian scholar of the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu Garden presents exquisite, breathtaking scenery. The 500,000-mu jujube forest in Leling is hailed as "China’s No.1 Jujube Grove". The Braised Chicken Culture Museum, a miniature of the century-old time-honored brand, documents the origin of this nationwide marvel of braised chicken.

Countless sites preserve Dezhou’s profound history and carry forward its splendid culture: Yu King Pavilion commemorating Yu’s flood-control feats, Linyi Xingtong Park dubbed an "encyclopedia" of Xing Tong’s calligraphy, the hometown of Dongfang Shuo the Sage of Wisdom, the Stele of Eulogy to Dongfang Shuo inscribed by Yan Zhenqing, and the sprawling Shentou Han Dynasty tomb clusters stretching like rolling hills.