Taian Travel Guide, China

Taian is a beautiful city located in a mountainous area from inland Shandong Province close to Jinan and Xuzhou.

Taian, Travel guide – Geography

An important part of Taian travel guide is represented by the topography, which has always played an important role in the locals’ life. The city is set at the foothill of Mount Taishan, one of the sacred mountains of China where thousand of years ago monarchs used to come and pray. Beautiful sunny hills and slopes of Taishan are perfect for tourists looking for some relaxation or for a cultural or spiritual trip.

The local climate is temperate but under the influence of the humid monsoon which determines high humidity during summer and autumn and dry strong winds in winter and spring. The average temperatures here are of about 12ºC and the extremes are 26ºC in July and -2ºC in winter.

The hydrographic network is represented by a few small streams which are tributaries to the nearby Yellow River known as Huang He. Its name is inspired by the yellow color of its waters due to the sediments brought from upstream and by its tributaries.

Taian, Travel guide – Flora and Fauna

As a consequence of the warm and humid climate, Taian flora is abundant especially at the city’s periphery where one can admire lush forests and numerous flower species. The surroundings of the city are also highly appreciated for their old trees, some of them of more than a hundred years old, and for the numerous precious medicinal herbs. Due to the locals preoccupation for environmental issues within the city one can admire numerous green areas these surfaces reaching almost 34% of the city’s total surface. The city flower in Taian is the Yangyang tree, a beautiful small bush which blossoms every year with small red flowers lasting from spring to autumn. This decorative small tree can be admired on the streets of the city in parks and gardens or in people’s private yards.

Fauna is represented in the city through several terrestrial and aquatic native species found especially in the green areas.

Taian, Travel guide – Transport

Transportation to Taian is usually made by road or train and sometimes by air. The reason for this situation is that there is no local airport here and no regular bus route to get to the nearest. Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport is an hour away from Taian and tourists could make the transfer only by changing several means of transportation or by renting a car.

Within Taian locals travel by taxi or bus which makes good connections between the city’s districts while tourists have the option of a special railway which connects the city with the nearby Mount Tai.

Taian, Travel guide – Population and Economy

Taian numbers around 5.500.000 inhabitants and has an economy based on the mining industry and tourism. The numerous mineral resources of the nearby mountainous area determined the presence and development of the heavy industry in Taian along with several branches of the light industry. Agriculture plays an important role in the local economy too, the region being well known for its peanuts, celery and peach cultures. Tourism develops rapidly too having the huge advantage of the vicinity of Mount Tai and other beautiful cultural and historic sights.

Taian, Travel guide – Cuisine

Taian cuisine is one of the most important traditional ones in China being also called Jinan cuisine and has the particularity of using soup as ingredients for different dishes. Some of the characteristic ingredients besides the traditional ones are the corn, peanuts, different cereals, local vegetables and numerous types of vinegar which are produced in then nearby regions. The most popular dishes in Taian are the Baochao yaohua which are fired kidneys, Tianjin hongshao paigu which is made with fried vegetables, Jiuqu dachang which are fried pig intestines in soy sauce, Basi digua which are fried potatoes with a sweet crunchy crust and so on.