Culture & Literature

A very distinctive local food, pancake is a treasured traditional staple dish for Linshu people in Shandong Province. There is a saying that the elders there are proud of: “Walking along the riverside with pancakes on your back, you are all set!” Going out of town for studying or traveling, Linshu people will always carry a pack of pancakes with them. Pancakes are delicious with a variety of spices and easy to store, too. One can enjoy the taste of hometown wherever he/she is. The process of making Linshu pancakes is quite minute and time-consuming. The ingredients must be soaked…

In recent years, a rural e-commerce industry system has been set up at Mengyin County in Linyi City, Shandong Province, China. The system, promoting the online sales of high-quality agricultural products in the difficult-to-be-reached Yimeng mountainous regions, is transforming the present agricultural mode and increasing farmers’ income, making them into agri-merchants.  In 2020, Ms Niu Qinghua registered on a short video platform using the username “Yimeng Niu Qinghua” and began to promote Mengyin peaches through live streaming. This method quickly gained popularity among consumers across the country. During the 2022 peach harvest season, Niu Qinghua sold over 70,000 orders of…

In Pingyi County, Linyi City of Shandong Province, there is a town called Bianqiao. There, a big eye-catcher is the spectacular base for circular agriculture and industry: Yinhe Aerospace Demonstration Park. Established in March 2021, the park was jointly built by the National Aerospace Breeding Transformation Center and Lantian Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.  The seeds returned from space are displayed in the green house, which look no different from ordinary seeds. In June 2021, they were selected and sent by Yinhe Aerospace Demonstration Park to be carried into space by the Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft, and successfully cultivated at the…

Linyi Tianze Wood Culture Museum, located in Lanshan District of Linyi City, Shandong Province, China, is a folk museum that showcases nearly 600 specimens of wood from 46 countries and regions. The museum exudes the fragrance of world wood culture and has been carefully curated to provide visitors with a truly immersive experience. In the museum, one can marvel at over a hundred species of ancient wood fossils dating back to billions of years ago with great scientific research value. The display includes the local fossils of ebony wood and silicified wood plus precious wood from other countries around the…

As a traditional folk craft of the Han people, the paper cutting art has a long history and is still thriving today. The artform is not only considered as a gem of the Chinese folk art, but also a cherished treasure in the art collection worldwide.  Sun Xiaodong, a retired senior teacher from Feixian No.1 Middle School, is a representative figure of this heritage. He uses the images of plants and animals from real life for his art, creating vivid scenes by cutting paper. Depicting the local customs and traditions, he deepened the symbolic meanings by reflecting the human aspirations for a…

In ancient times, it was popular in China to make flour pastries for festival celebrations. The pastries were generally served as offerings for sacrifice services. This is the origin of dough sculptures.  The Yishui dough sculpture in Shandong Province is made of glutinous rice flour with different natural coloring materials . After being kneaded, rubbed, andlifted, it is cleverly cut, carved, and scratched with a small bamboo knife. The exquisite craftsmanship with vivid character forms and realistic landscape images earns it the title of “three-dimensional painting”. Other main materials for dough sculptures are iron wire, screws, refined flour, salt, preservatives, sesame oil and various pigments. The…

Wood carving tradition has a long history in China. As one of the four major wood types for carving, boxwood has been famous for wood carving in Linyi City of Shandong Province, China. Mr. Peng Xiangxue is a representative of that art from the city. Influenced by his father, Peng Xiangxue showed great interest in calligraphy and painting from a young age. Soon, the wood-root carving impressed him so much that he followed the profound impact to shape his future. Now he is a renowned artist on wood carving, being called “King of Cicadas”. Combining the different local characteristics and…

Douling Village, located in Hedong District, Linyi City, is currently experiencing a lotus root harvest season. In recent years, Hedong District has been exploring the core value of its local characteristics and cultivating lotus flowers in a multi-dimensional manner. Established cooperatives include lotus root production, related tourism, and construction of lotus industrial chain, all bringing a revitalization of this rural area. Douling Village has the advantage of enjoying a unique clay soil which is rich in humus, providing the necessary conditions for lotus growth. This advantage helps cultivate lotus which is more than 30 years now. Over 10,000 mu of…