A mere 80 km away from Shandong in a sort of religious counterpoint is the mountain of Taishan, a Daoist national shrine. Taishan, the "Exalted Mountain" is the most easterly of the five sacred mountains of Daosim and as life comes from the east, it is the holiest of them all. It is suppose to have risen from the head of Pangu, the creator of the world according to Chinese mythology. Tai’an is the name of the town at the foot of the mountain. In its center lies the Daimiao, the Temple of the God of Taishan, a magnificent temple complex of more than 600 buildings which contains the Hall of Heavenly Gifts, one of the most massive classic temple halls in China. It contains a monumental fresco which is more than 60 metres long. Less than half a mile to the north of the temple, at the Gate of the God of Taishan, lies the starting point of the seemingly endless ascent to the 1,545 metres high summit. It takes a whole day to complete the journey. As tourists travel passed the Middle Gate of Heaven the ascent becomes steeper. Passing the "Pines of the Fifth Order of Officials" will leads to the Southern Gate of Heaven, which is the entrance to the realm of the immortals on the summit of the mountains. Up here, it is pleasantly cool in summer and uncomfortably cold in winter. The Path of Paradise leads to the main shrine of the mountain, the Temple of the Princess of the Azure Clouds.

Qufu , in imperial times was the sacred town of China, almost the same level as Jerusalem or Mecca is home to Confucius the "Great Teacher". The size and splendor of the Confucius Temple in the center of the town was built as early as 478BC, one year after Confucius death. Unique from an artistic and historical view about this temple is the 28 stone pillars, which are reported to have 1,296 dragons carved on to them. The yellow roof , emphasizes the unique position of the great philosopher Confucius in Chinese tradition.

Qingdao, the "Green Island" on the eastern part of Shandong was a little fishing village before the first German landed here. The German presence in the Far East did not last long. In 1914, at the beginning of the World War I, Japan conquered the German colony. Today, there is still evidence of the German colonial past hovering over the rooftops of Qingdao where 19th century neo Gothic style of the buildings is reminiscent of small German towns. There are bright red tiled roofs, half-timbered facades, sloping gables, triangular windows in the attics, the tall towers of the Catholic and Protestant Churches and a little jewel, the former governor’s palace. Even though the suburbs of Qingdao have now becomes unattractive, the town has preserved its character as a holiday and seaside