Anqiu 安丘市

Setting and landscape

The city measures about 64.5 kilometres from north to south and 65.3 kilometres from east to west. Its longest river is the Wen (汶河), and its largest body of water is Mushan Reservoir (牟山水库), built in 1960 in the south-west of the city on the middle and lower Weiwen River (潍汶河). The reservoir's dam runs for 5,870 metres; the lake controls floods, irrigates farmland, supports fish farming and is the only water source for the urban area.

History

Local history is traced to the Spring and Autumn state of Ju (莒), when the area was the fief of a noble called Quqiu Fu (渠丘父). In 199 BC the first Han emperor made the general Zhang Yue (张说) Marquis of Anqiu on this old Quqiu land, and in 148 BC the county was formally set up under the marquisate's name. It was later called Zhuzhi (诛郅), Moushan (牟山), Futang (辅唐) and Jiaoxi (胶西) before the name Anqiu returned in 971. The county became a county-level city on 18 January 1994.

Food and local products

The town of Jingzhi (景芝镇) is known for baijiu. In 1948, 72 distilling workshops in the town merged into the Shandong Jingzhi Distillery. Specialists found a sesame note in Jingzhi liquor in 1957, and in 1965 the distillery began research on a sesame-aroma style of baijiu. The traditional brewing technique of Jingzhi liquor (景芝酒传统酿造技艺) was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2021, and the distillery grounds, called Jingzhi Liquor City (景芝酒之城), are a national 4A tourist attraction.

Getting oriented

Fangzi District (坊子区) lies to the east and north, Changle (昌乐县) and Linqu (临朐县) to the west, and Zhucheng (诸城市) and Yishui (沂水县) to the south. The city government is about 29 kilometres by road from the Weifang city government, 170 kilometres from Qingdao and 238 kilometres from Jinan, and National Highway 206 crosses the city.

Highlights

• Mushan Reservoir 牟山水库: Large reservoir completed in 1960 on the Weiwen River, with a 5,870-metre dam; the urban area's only water source.
• Jingzhi Liquor City 景芝酒之城: Distillery grounds in Jingzhi town, a national 4A tourist attraction.
• Jingzhi liquor brewing technique 景芝酒传统酿造技艺: Listed as national intangible cultural heritage in 2021; research on sesame-aroma baijiu began here in 1965.