Shandong Province, also known as Qilu, is a leading agricultural province in China and often regarded as the epitome of the country’s agriculture, supplying high-quality, nutritious and healthy agricultural products to consumers in China and around the world.

Shandong Province is located on the east coast of China and in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It lies at the intersection of the Bohai Rim Economic Zone and the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone. Spanning an area of 158,000 square kilometres, Shandong boasts one of the highest percentages of arable land in the country. It is blessed with beautiful mountains and rivers, an abundance of sunlight, fertile soil and a warm-temperate monsoon climate that brings warmth and rain to the region. These favourable geographical and climatic conditions contribute to nurturing a wealth of specialities, including livestock, poultry, vegetables, fruits, freshwater fish and various other seafood.

As a leading province in terms of grain production, reserve, circulation, processing and transformation, Shandong’s large-sized grain industry has a complete range of products, impressive performances and significant potential. The total economic and industrial output value of the province’s grain industry has ranked first in the country for years. In 2022, the industry’s economic and industrial value broke the RMB500bn mark. Agricultural production also increased. The agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries industry generated RMB1,213.07bn worth of produce, a 4.8-per-cent increase over the previous year.

With six per cent of the country’s arable land and one per cent of its freshwater resources, Shandong contributes eight per cent of the country’s grain, 11 per cent of its fruits, 12 per cent of its vegetables, 13 per cent of its meat and 13 per cent of its aquatic products. Thanks to its distinctive natural advantages, Shandong has more than 3,000 biological species, earning it the reputation of being one of “the world’s three major vegetable farms” and “the kingdom of deciduous fruit trees” in northern China.

There is an old Chinese saying: food is the first priority of the people. It is no wonder that almost half of Shandong’s time-honoured brands are food-related and often feature local agricultural specialities. More than 300 premium Shandong agricultural products, including apples from Yantai City, donkey-hide gelatin from Dong’e County, mutton soup from Shan County, hairy crabs from the Yellow River estuary and vegetables from Shouguang City, have recently travelled 3,800km to Hong Kong and left a lasting impression with their quality and taste.

Shandong is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, as well as the state of etiquette. As such, the virtue of integrity has not only been coursing through the veins of Shandong people but has also become a part of their cultural genes. It is this integrity that encompasses exceptional craftsmanship, boundless creativity and attention to detail. Shandong agricultural enterprises all share one belief: persistence in their pursuit of improving the quality of their agricultural products.