Get to know Zoucheng
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- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Jining
- Chinese name
- 邹城市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,619.00 km²
- Population · 2019
- 1,155,400
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The land is higher in the east and north and lower in the west and south, and it divides roughly into thirds of mountains, hills and plain. Rivers belong to the Si (泗河) and Yi (沂河) systems; most rise inside the city's own area and run wide, shallow and seasonal. Mencius Lake (孟子湖) is one of the larger reservoirs.
History
The Yedian site (野店遗址), 6 kilometres south of the city, shows settlement in the Dawenkou and Longshan cultures, some 6,000 to 4,000 years ago. After the Zhou conquest the state of Zhu (邾) was founded here, dependent on Lu, until Chu destroyed it in 281 BC. The Qin set up a county called Zou; early in the Tang its character was changed, giving Zou County (邹县), which became Zoucheng city in October 1992.
What to see
The Meng Temple (孟庙), in Nanguan (南关) in the Qianquan (千泉) subdistrict, honours Mencius and with the Meng Mansion (孟府) of his descendants and the Meng Cemetery (孟林) makes up the Three Mengs (三孟), listed together as a national heritage site. Its Hall of the Second Sage (亚圣殿), a seven-bay building 17 metres high, was rebuilt in 1673. A study route used by school groups follows the three homes of Mencius's mother, who moved house for her son's education: Fucun (凫村), Miaohuying (庙户营) and the site of the Zisi Academy (子思书院).
Mount Yi (峄山), 10 kilometres south of the city, is a granite mountain rising to 582 metres. It is taken to be the 'eastern mountain' from which, in the Mencius, Confucius found the state of Lu small. The First Emperor of Qin had an inscription carved here on his eastern tour, and a Buddhist sutra cut into the rock dates from 573 under the Northern Qi. The Yedian site and the old city of Zhu (邾国故城), both national heritage sites, lie at its foot. Zoucheng also has Northern and Southern dynasties cliff inscriptions on four hills, including Tieshan (铁山) and Gangshan (岗山), and the Ming tomb of Prince Huang of Lu (鲁荒王陵).
Getting oriented
The Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway and the Beijing–Taipei expressway cross the city from north to south, and the Xinxiang–Shijiusuo railway and Rizhao–Lankao expressway from east to west. Jining Da'an Airport is 30 kilometres away.
Highlights
- Meng Temple and Meng Mansion 孟庙孟府: Temple to Mencius and his descendants' mansion, a national heritage site with the Meng Cemetery.
- Mount Yi 峄山: 582-metre granite mountain with a Qin inscription site and a Northern Qi sutra of 573.
- Old city of Zhu 邾国故城: Site of the Zhou-era state of Zhu at the foot of Mount Yi; national heritage site.
- Tieshan and Gangshan cliff inscriptions 铁山、岗山摩崖石刻: Northern and Southern dynasties cliff inscriptions; a national heritage site.
Sources for this guide
邹城市 · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
邹城市人民政府 邹城概况 · Zoucheng Municipal People's Government
邹城市人民政府 历史沿革 · Zoucheng Municipal People's Government
邹城市人民政府 地理环境 · Zoucheng Municipal People's Government
邹城市人民政府 旅游名城 · Zoucheng Municipal People's Government
孟庙 · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
峄山 · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-23.
Explore Zoucheng
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Zoucheng
Temple and Mansion of Mencius (孟庙孟府), Zoucheng. Photograph: "孟庙牌楼".Temple and Mansion of Mencius孟庙孟府
The Meng Temple and Meng Mansion (孟庙孟府) stand side by side in the southern part of Zoucheng, Jining, Shandong. The temple, also called the Yasheng Temple, is where Mencius was sacrificed to under successive dynasties; the mansion beside it was the home of his senior descendants.
Read the place guide →
A memorial archway gate at the foot of Mount Yi in Zoucheng, with the mountain behind · 邹城峄山风景区牌坊，背景为峄山 Source-recorded photograph date: 2020-01-03 15:56:34.Mount Yi峄山
Granite boulder mountain south of Zoucheng where the First Emperor of Qin left an inscription, with the temples and sutra carvings of the Eastern Mountain.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Zoucheng is about 40 km in a straight line from central Jining. Search for 邹城市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Temple and Mansion of Mencius and Mount Yi are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Jining →More in Jining
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 邹城市 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 孟庙 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 峄山 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Temple and Mansion of Mencius · Dirrival · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Mount Yi · Air7538 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.