Shandong Peninsula

Here is the rewritten encyclopedia entry:

The Shandong Peninsula, sometimes called the Jiaodong or Tsiaotung Peninsula, is located in eastern China’s Shandong province. It sits between the Bohai Sea to its north and the Yellow Sea to its south; the name "Jiaodong" comes from its position east of Jiaozhou. To its northwest lies Laizhou Bay, which opens into the Bohai Sea, and the Bohai Strait connects to the Yellow Sea to the northeast, east, and south.

This is China’s largest peninsula. It stretches 290 kilometers east to west, 190 kilometers north to south, and narrows to just 50 kilometers at its thinnest point, covering 73,000 square kilometers. The peninsula includes three prefecture-level cities: Qingdao in the southwest, Yantai in the north and center, and Weihai at the eastern tip. Geologically, it was once linked to the Korean and Liaodong peninsulas but began to separate around 27 million years ago, forming the Yellow Sea.

In the Paleolithic era, the area was forested. About 7,000 years ago, during the Neolithic, many Dongyi people lived here, and they established the State of Lai. Later, the peninsula became part of the State of Qi, which built the Great Wall of Qi, partly on the peninsula. During the Han dynasty, it was part of the semi-independent Jiaodong Kingdom.

In the late 19th century, the peninsula served as a base for the Beiyang Fleet. During the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan captured the port of Weihaiwei after a 23-day siege. During the Scramble for China, Germany annexed the Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory from 1898 to 1914, centered on Jiaozhou Bay, where the village of Qingdao grew into a major seaport. In July 1898, the United Kingdom annexed Weihaiwei. Japan seized the territory from Germany in 1914 during World War I. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles transferred Germany’s Qingdao lease and sphere of influence to Japan instead of restoring Chinese control, sparking the Shandong Problem and the May Fourth Movement. Shandong returned to Chinese control in 1922 after U.S. mediation at the Washington Naval Conference, though Japan kept economic influence.

Geographically, the peninsula is closely tied to Northeast China and South Korea. Historically, many people migrated by boat to the Northeast; today, many from the Northeast "return" to the peninsula. After China and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992, many South Korean companies set up factories here, and over 200,000 Koreans now live on the peninsula. South Korea has a consulate-general in Qingdao.

The local dialect is Jiaoliao Mandarin, also spoken on the Liaodong Peninsula and parts of Manchuria, including Mishan, Hulin, Fuyuan, and Raohe counties in Heilongjiang. This dialect spread from the Shandong Peninsula to Northeast China through large-scale migration over successive dynasties.

Surrounded by sea on three sides, the peninsula has a monsoon climate with four distinct seasons (Köppen: Cwa/Dwa). The sea makes summers and winters relatively mild.

Economically, the Shandong Peninsula is the most developed part of the province and one of China’s wealthiest regions. Fishing and salt industries emerged as early as the Spring and Autumn period (8th century BC). By the Warring States period, iron smelting and silk-hemp textile production were advanced. In the Han dynasty, it was called the "granary of the East." During the Tang dynasty, Dengzhou and Laizhou were key foreign trade ports. In the Ming and Qing periods, Jiaozhou was northern China’s largest trading port. After the Opium Wars, the economy developed unevenly, and Qingdao and Weihai were occupied by Germany and Britain. After 1949, the region’s advantages were fully used, making it a national center for peanuts, fruit, aquatic products, and tussah silk. Qingdao and Yantai now have developing economic and technological development zones.

Its hilly terrain and mild, humid climate make the peninsula known for traditional northern Chinese fruits, including Laoshan honey peaches, Qixia apples, Laiyang pears, and Dazeshan grapes.

Geographically, the peninsula consists of five prefecture-level cities.

In popular culture, it is fictionalized as the "Chinese Peninsula" in the Japanese manga and anime series *Fire Force*.