Over 2,000 years ago, when China was in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Confucius, the founder of the Confucian School, and Mencius, his successor, were born in the Lu Kingdom located in the southern part of the modern Shandong. The hometown of Confucius and Mencius is respectively in the present-day Qufu and Zoucheng.

Since Confucian School dominated ancient China, the hometown of Confucius and Mencius became well-known. Today, these places still boast rich cultural relics buried underground, as well as abundant cultural sites standing on the ground. Among those of extremely high historical and cultural value, are what are known as the "three Confucius" and "three Mencius", namely the Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion and Confucius Forest", and the Mencius Temple, Mencius Mansion and Mencius Forest, where spacious rooms, grand halls, deep ancient courtyards, and tracts of tombs and tablets have become famous attractions for Chinese and foreign tourists.

While Chinese calligraphy is world-renowned, Shandong is known as a "home of Chinese calligraphy". Hidden in the temples and mountains of the province are innumerable ancient tables and stone inscriptions, making it a treasure house of Chinese calligraphy. Half way up the Mount Taishan, there is a scenic spot called "Jingshiyu", where one can find an amazing 1,000 sq.m. in size. The inscription is devoted to a famous Buddhist scripture entitled "Diamond Sutra". More magnificent is a cliff carving on top of the Mount Taishan, which carries the famous "Inscription of Mount Taishan" written by Li Longji, an emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The imposing inscription can hardly serve as a reminiscence of the romantic character of the emperor who ahad and an extremely sentimental love story with Yand Yuhuan, his highest-ranking imperial concubine. In the Dai Temple at the foot of the mountain, there is a stone inscription entitled "Stone Inscription on Mount Taishan by Qin ' ershi" (the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty). It was the calligraphy in seal character of Li Si, a famous prime minister of the Qin Dynasty who was in power over 2,000 years age. Though there are only ten characters left, the tablet is considered of incredible value. Famous tablets in Shandong also include tablets and stone inscriptions of the Wei Dynasty on the Tianzhu Mountain in Pingdu and the Yunfeng Mountain in Laizhou, which are considered masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy.

In addition to traditional culture, the folklore of Shandong is also refreshing to tourists. The sea worshipping ceremony of the coastal areas in the Jiaodong Peninsula and the Jiao Zhou Yangko (a popular rural folk dance) feature the unique folklores of the local fishermen; the kites of Weifang, the wood-block New Year Picture of Yangjiabu, the paper cutting of Gaomi, and the colored glaze of Boshan are representatives of the farmer' s culture; and the folk handicrafts and customs of western Shandong are deep-rooted in the tradition of the Confucian Culture.

It is for sure that tourists can taste different charms in the "three homes" in Shandong."Three Mountains" in Shandong The "three mountains" refer to the magnificent Mount Taishan, Mount Laoshan and Mount Mengshan featuring rich cultural heritage.

Rising from the North China Plain, the lofty Mount Taishan ranks first among the "Five Sacred Mountains" in China. "As stable as the Mount Taishan" is a famous Chinese idiom extolling the extraordinary grandeur of the Mount Taishan, which is used to describe firmness and strength. Since "Tai" in Chinese carries the meaning of "peace", Mount Taishan also becomes a symbol of a "prosperous country and peaceful life". As a result, many emperors, high-ranking officials of the imperial courts and men of letters of ancient times ascended the mountain to pay their homage, leaving behind rich cultural legacies from the foot to the top, making the mountain a shrine of Chinese cultural history.

Stretching along the coast of the Yellow Sea and with vast hinterland behind, the rocky Mount Laoshan, which looks totally different from Mount Taishan, features the harmony of the land and the sea. Since the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, Taoist temples emerged one after another in Mount Laoshan, making it a famous Taoist sacred place in China.

The scenic Mount Mengshan lying in the south of Shandong is known for its majesty, deep valleys, waterfalls and springs. It is said that there are 72 peaks and 36 caves in the mountain, of which the 1156-meter-high Guimeng Peak is the second highest in the province.

Every of the three mountains reveals interesting historic stories.

Mount Taishan, its main peak at an elevation of 1,545 metres, and its smudge of peaks looking majestic in their sheer masses, is regarded as the holiest of all the five holy mountains in China. For its long history, scientific value and natural beauty, Taishan has been designated as a world natural and cultural heritage site. The Daimiao and Bixia temples are among the mountain's major sites of historical interest, and the Yuhuang (Jade Emperor) and Riguan (Sun-Watching) peaks are primary scenic spots. A visit to Mount Taishan not only brings one in touch with its peaks and stones of imaginary images, ancient trees famed rich in cultural implications, and its awesome topographical wonders-it also provides the opportunity to marvel at stone tablets inscribed with poems composed by emperors and poets. Watching the sunrise atop the mountain is definitely a fascinating experience.

Qufu, hometown of the great thinker and educator Confucius, is listed in the first group of national famous cities of historical and cultural relics designated by the State Council. The first Chinese general history book Shiji (History) gives that it is the hometown of Shen Nong (God of agriculture), Huang Di, Shao Hao and Mencius, and has been the site for ancient states and capitals like the Shang dynasty, the Yin State, the Lu State, etc. In the city, there are now 112 key historic relics under protection, among which four sites are of national level, twelve are of provincial level. The Confucian Temple, the Confucian Mansion and the Confucian Cemetery were ranked as one of the world cultural heritage in 1994. The Confucian Temple, also known as the Most Sage Temple, was the place for ancient emperors to offers acrificial sercives to Confucius. Located in the center of Qufu City, the Confucian Temple, an oriental style complex with a long history, is known as the "only case" in the history of the world architecture, and is considered one of the three most famous traditional
architectural complexes in China, the other two being the Forbidden City in Beijing, Summer Hill Station of Chengde.

Featured as a gushing springs garden, Baotuquan Spring Park of 27.7 acres in land area is located in the downtown area at South Baotuquan street and the middle of Luoyuan Avenue, with Mt. Thousand Buddha to the south, Quancheng Square to the east, and Daming Lake to the north. With another name as Jianquan Spring, Baotuquan springs have been the source of the Le River for 2700 years. The three major springs gush simultaneously with thundering sound, which are described as fountains constantly pumping water. The spring water keeps its temperature around 18 degree centigrade all year round. In cold winter, the steam forms a curtain of thin fog over the surface. With clear deep water in the spring pool on one side and pavilions of color painting and rich ornaments on the other, visitors feel as if they were on a fairyland on earth. Many writers, philosophers and poets left poems and verses in praise of the wonderful scene.The Billow Observation Pavilion, which extends into the water on the left side of the pool, was built in the fifth year of Tianshun emperor, Ming Dynasty. There are stone tables and benches in it so that visitors can enjoy the scene while relaxing. Embedded on the west wall of the pavilion is the writing of billow observation by a calligrapher of Ming Dynasty.

Having long been known as a fairyland, Penglai is one of the three supernatural mountains inhabited by immortals. The other two are Yingzhou and Fangzhang, which were frequently visited for wonder herbs by emperors since Qin and Han dynasties. The famous legend of "Eight immortals crossing the sea" finds its origin here. It is said that the eight immortals (Lu Dongbin, Tie Guaili, Zhang Guolao, Han Zhongli, Cao Guojiu, He Xiangu, Lan Caihe, Han Xiangzi) got drunk at Penglai Pavilion and crossed the sea by different tricks of their own without ships or boats. Their performance hovering over the waves against wind left a popular saying that "like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each one showing his or her special feats; each tries to outwit the other."