The people of Shandong province or Shandong people (simplified Chinese: 山东人; traditional Chinese: 山東人; pinyin: Shāndōng rén) refers to those who are native to Shandong province, the majority (99%) are classified as Han Chinese. They speak various forms of Chinese such as Jilu, Jiaoliao, and Zhongyuan. There is a small Shandong community in Singapore and Malaysia.[1] Nine-tenths of the early overseas Chinese in Korea also came from Shandong.[2] Shandong citizens, are also known to have the tallest average height of any Chinese province (or administrative equivalents).[3] As of 2010, 16- to 18-year-old male students in Yantai measured 176.4 cm (5'9.5), while female students measured 164 cm (5'4.5).[4] Provincial average for both genders would be about 1cm less.
History
Modern-day Shandong is primarily located in the territories of Qi During the Warring States Period. It was the last annexed kingdom by the Qin kingdom before Qin dynasty. After 15 years, the unified Qin Empire was toppled by peasant revolts (Chen Sheng Wu Guang Uprising etc) and then split into Eighteen Kingdoms. On present day Shandong's territories, 3 feudal states came into existence, Jiaodong (胶东), Jibei (济北) and Qi(齐). After about 5 years (see Chu-Han Contention), the Han army led by King Liu Bang united those kingdoms and started Han dynasty.
After 400 years, the Han dynasty fell and the empire scattered and after the disintegration of the Cao Wei dynasty, the area of present-day Shandong was ruled by the Tuoba Clan of the Xianbei Tribe during the Eastern Wei. The Eastern Wei eventually fell to the Northern Qi dynasty which lasted 27 years before it was overtaken by the Northern Zhou of central China. Emperor Wen of Sui was able to recapture ruling power to the Han Chinese from the Xianbei and establish the Sui dynasty after centuries of Xianbei rule and division between different states, becoming Emperor Wen of Sui.
After unifying the Northern and Southern dynasties, the Sui dynasty paved the way for the Tang dynasty and many years of prosperity and peace. The Tang dynasty fell about 300 years after its inception. The empire again, fragmented, this time into many different states whose borders are roughly the outline of the present day provinces. During this time Shandong was known as the Later Liang (Five Dynasties) Kingdom.
In Shandong cities throughout the 18th century, there were sizable foreign settlements by the British, Germans, Americans, and Russians. For 20 years prior to the end of World War I, the Germans controlled Shandong. After the defeat of Germany in WWI by the Allied forces, the cities of Chefoo and Qingdao were handed to the Japanese who used the port cities for their summer fleets. This led to the Shandong Problem which added to the ignition of the May Fourth Movement and the New Culture Movement— paving the way for the birth of modern China.
Shandong cuisine is one of the "8 Great Regional Cuisines" of China. It is noted for uses of fresh seafood, soy sauce, and spices(e.g., garlic, scallion).[5]
Vast fertile plain enabled Shandong to be a major wheat-production zone in China, so many Shandong people enjoy wheat-based food. There is a stereotype that Shandong people like to eat giant Mantou(for the entire Shandong) or Jianbing(Jiaodong excluded).
There are 2 main variants of Shandong cuisine with vast differences: the coastal style(normally referring to Jiaodong) and the inland style (except for Jiaodong).
Inland-styled dishes are generally salty, with a prevalence of light-colored sauces, and renowned for its adept skills in slicing. Meanwhile, coastal-styled dishes are known for being fresh, tender(describing meat and seafood) and mellow.
Both styles of Shandong cuisine are representative among all Northern Chinese cooking styles and its techniques have been widely absorbed by imperial cuisine styles(e.g., Peking Duck).
Notable dishes
Dezhou Braised (Grilled) Chicken (德州扒鸡; Dézhōu pá jī) also known as "Dezhou Five-fragrant Boneless Braised Chicken" from the city of Dezhou.
Clay Pot Braised Pork Belly (坛子肉; tánzi ròu) the original Red braised pork belly which has now spread all over China, and is more popularly known as Chairman Mao's favorite dish. Different provinces have different variations of this dish. Tanzi Rou, literally means brewed pork in jar, as the dish is cooked in a porcelain or clay pot. It is said that the dish originated in the Jinan Fengjilou Hotel.
Eight Immortal Soup (蓬莱八仙宴) a seafood stew popular among Shandong easterners (胶东人) and their settlements abroad.
Fluffy Scallion Pan-Cake (山东葱花饼) is a version of a scallion pancake that is much more dense, fluffier, and thicker than the more widespread southern style, Green-Scallion Oil Pancake. This type of bread can come either plain topped with sesame seeds, or stuffed with meat filling or glass-noodle or eggs and Chinese chives. Different variations exist.
Shandong Dumplings Shandong style dumplings are notably plumper and traditionally made with Pork & Cabbage (common style) or Mackerel & Leek (Jiaodong style). Shandong dumplings typically have hearty fillings, bringing people with a great sense of satisfaction.
Culture
Evidence of the Beixin culture (5300 BC to 4100 BC), the Dawenkou culture (4100 BC to 2600 BC) and the Longshan Culture (3000 BC to 2000 BC) was found in Shandong province, which provides evidence that comparatively advanced handcraft industry, agriculture and animal husbandry was prevalent in Shandong 4000 to 7000 years ago.[6][7]
Additionally, Shandong is home to some of the oldest Chinese inscriptions: Dawenkou Pottery Inscription and Longshan Pottery Inscription; the largest prehistoric settlement found to date: Chengziya (城子崖) Archeological Site; the oldest section of the Great Wall in China: the Great Wall of Qi State; Huantai County oracle bone script, among the oldest found in China, were all found in Shandong. According to the research of archaeologists, Shandong was the main hub for silk manufacture from the Han dynasty to the Tang dynasty, and it was the start of the ancient Silk Road.[8]
Heritage sites
Remains of Ancient Linzi city drainage underneath the former rampart
Zou Yan – best known as the representative thinker of the Yin and Yang School (or School of Naturalists) during the Hundred Schools of Thought era in Chinese philosophy.
^Liu, Li (2004). The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States. Cambridge University Press. pp. 193–194. ISBN1139441701.
^Maisel, Charles Keith (1999). Early Civilizations of the Old World: The Formative Histories of Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, India and China. Psychology Press. p. 283. ISBN978-0-4151-0975-8.
