Introduction
Zibo is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong Province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the west. Located in the centre of Shandong, Zibo is an important transportation hub. Zibo governs 5 districts and each of these districts has a distinct downtown area of its own. The T-shaped city has a total area of 5,938 km2. Zibo's total population is 4.64 million according to the 2015 census, of which 3.63 million inhabitants live in the metropolitan area comprising the 5 urban districts plus Huantai county (currently still under construction) which will serve to expand the metro-area to Zouping County situated in the municipality of Binzhou. Zibo was the centre of the ancient State of Qi, whose capital Linzi was the most populous city in the east about 3000 years ago. Zibo is the birthplace of ancient football Cuju, which according to FIFA, was the earliest form of the sport. Pu Songling, a well-known writer of the Qing Dynasty, is one of the most famous people from Zibo. As the birthplace of Qi culture along with its abundance in natural resources, Zibo is a notable tourist city in China.
History
Zibo is considered as one of the birthplaces of the Han Chinese. The remains of three major Neolithic cultures in ancient China, Beixin culture, Dawenkou culture, and Longshan culture have been found in Zibo. Zibo was once the capital of the ancient State of Qi, the most prosperous state during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods over 2,000 years ago in China. Duke Huan of Qi, ruler of Qi, appointed Guan Zhong, the famous thinker and economist, as his prime minister, and adopted Guan's thoughts and policies to administer his country, reform the economic system and develop relations with other states, After many years, Qi became the strongest state due to its economic and military strength, and was named as the "state with one thousand chariots" and the "head of the five strongest states". The culture and education undertakings were rather developed in Qi. Both poetry and music were at a high level. Linzi remained its capital for as long as 638 years, and was the biggest city in East Asia.
Economy
Manufacturing holds an important place of the city's economy, in particular ceramics manufacturing. Other key industries include the petrochemical industry, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, construction materials, machinery and textile. High and new-technology industries, such as new materials, fine chemicals, electronics and information, and biological medicines are also developing rapidly.
Zibo is a producer of silk and light textile products, remains an important place in the whole country and enjoys a great reputation on the market both at home and abroad. Zibo abounds in natural resources. More than 50 kinds of mineral reserves have been found and coal, iron, bauxite, coal clay, chemical limestone, pottery clay, etc. are the main place of origin in Shandong Province because of their big reserves, high grade, and broad distribution. Zibo’s north part is abundant in petroleum and natural gas. The city was initially established as a mining city, but now it is undergoing technological upgrading and industrial transformation for further development. Zibo is proud to have the first three municipal sewage treatment plants that with the treated water reach the Grade-A1 standard of "Integrated wastewater discharge standard".
Education
Zibo is a national "advanced city invigorating itself through science and technology", "cultural model city" and "technology-intensive area". There are 14 institutions of higher education, among them only the Shandong University of Technology and Qilu Medical College are able to confer the bachelor's degree. There is also postgraduate education in Shandong University of Technology. The education system of Zibo offers more than 30 key majors, including mechanics, electronics and informatics, biological pharmacological science, textile and clothes and logistics, and can provide local enterprises with 30,000 specialized technical personnel every year.
Transportation
As an important traffic hub of Shandong province, Zibo enjoys convenient transportation. The Jiaoji Railway, Zhangbo Railway, Zidong Railway and Xintai Railway form a cross in Zibo while the Jiqing Expressway and Binlai Expressway form another cross. The center of Zibo is only 70 km (43 mi) away from the Jinan International Airport, 210 km away from the Qingdao International Airport and 260 km away from the Qingdao Seaport. Every district and county has expressway connections. At the National Trade Building located in Liuquan Road of Zhangdian, airport shuttle bus service is offered and even you can get your boarding pass exchanged with a ticket.
Climate
Zibo is located in a warm, temperate zone, and bears a semi-humid and semi-dry continental climate. Like other major cities in North China, Zibo has four distinct seasons. January and July are, respectively, the coldest and hottest months during the year. Zibo enjoys 180 to 220 frost-free days and the average annual Hours of Sunshine is 2542.6 to 2832.6. The annual average precipitation of Zibo is 25.2 inches (640.5 mm).
Honors Earned
National Hygienic City (2006) --- National Patriotic (Public) Health Campaign Commission of P.R. China
National Garden City (2005) --- Ministry of Construction of P.R. China
Best Tourism City in China (2001) --- National Tourism Administration of P.R. China
Historical and Cultural City (1994) --- State Council of P.R. China
Population: 4.64 million
Temperature: average 13.4°C (56.1°F)
