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Located on the West Shandong Plain and the bank of the ancient canal, Liaocheng is a city of military importance with a long history. The location and geography of the ancient Liaocheng city moat is shaped like a phoenix, so the city is also called the Phoenix City. It was the seat of the Dongchang governmental office in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and is now the seat of the city committee, and a political, economic and cultural center in west Shandong. Liaocheng is just like a bright pearl studded on the West Shandong Plain.

The time-honored Liaocheng has numerous scenic sites. Extant ancient architectures like the Guangyue Building and Shanxi-Shaanxi Assembly Hall were listed the key cultural relics sites under the provincial protection in 1956.

Liaocheng is a city that combines lake, river and city. The world-famous Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is just like a dragon that flies over the city. The largest man-made lake north of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River — the Dongchang Lake — looks like a silk ribbon surrounding the ancient city. The Guangyue Building, a key cultural relics site under the national protection in the city, is the reputed as the tourist destination worth a visit even after sightseeing in the Yueyang Building and the Huanghe Building. The magnificent Iron Tower built in the Song (960-1279) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties is the symbol of remoteness of Liaocheng. The world-famous Haiyuan Pavilion boasts a large collection of books and was one of the four major privately owned book collection buildings in the Qing Dynasty. First built at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the Lion Building is characterized by carved girders and painted ridgepoles and famous far and wide for the legend that Wu Song had fought with and killed Ximen Qing here. The unique Linqing Mosque, magnificent dagoba, Cao Zhi’s tomb situated at the west piedmont of Ayu Mountain, and world-famous Jingyang Hillock where Wu Song fought with tigers, etc., are all crystal of the wisdom of the ancient people and glitter with the effulgence of cultural art of the Chinese nation.

Liaocheng was proclaimed as a national level historical and cultural city by the State Council in 1994.

(Source: chinaculture.org)