Located at the foot of the Thousand Buddha Hill (Qian Fo Shan), Shandong Provincial Museum covers the nature and history of the ancient Qi and Lu States.

Built in 1954, it is the first provincial comprehensive museum majoring in local history after the foundation of New China. It is the collecting center of the cultural relics and natural specimens. 210,000 cultural relics and specimens are kept there, which is about a third of the collections in Shandong Province. Among them, there are 3 national level antiques, 1388 Grade One cultural relics of the state, and 120, 000 books.

The main collections are cultural relics including skulls and fossilized teeth of Yiyuan ape man. More than 5000 carapace-bone-scripts of Shang Dynasty are kept in the museum, making Shandong the province which owns the most carapace-bone-scripts in China. Bamboo slips of West Han Dynasty unearthed in Yinqueshan Mountain is regarded as one of the ten archeological discoveries of China in this century. Besides, fossil specimens such as the previous Giant Shandong Dragon are stored there.

The Qi and Lu Treasures showcase 212 pieces of cultural relics, including pottery, porcelain, jade, craftworks and bronze ware. Egg shell black pottery is the masterpiece of the Longshan Culture over 4,000 years ago. The shining black pottery is exquisite and thin as an egg shell.

Note on Qi and Lu Culture:
Shandong Province is called the State of Qi and Lu, both ancient states. Qi State with its capital in today's Linzi, Shandong, was founded in 1122 B.C. and was one of the most prosperous states at that time until 211 B.C. when it was conquered by Emperor Qinshihuang.
Lu State was set up during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-771 B.C.), and was conquered by Chu during the Warring States (475-221 B.C.), playing a vital role in politics and culture. It was due to the Lu State that Shandong was named Lu for short.

In the natural collections, specimens cover 200 species. Among them, fossils of trilobite, the Taishan swallow, the dinosaur, and so on, influence knowledge in ancient biologic and geographic fields. A visit to the museum is like a dialogue with history, revealing the wonders of Qi-Lu Culture.

With abundant collections and modern display methods, Shandong Provincial Museum has taken a new looks before people's eyes and showcases the charm of Qilu culture. In addition, the magnificent and elegant buildings, which reflect the combination of the ethical feature and modern art, have become a great tourist attraction.