Taian is a famous cultural tourism city located in the central part of Shandong Province, China. Mount Tai within its borders is a national key scenic spot and was listed as one of the first batch of open-to-foreigners tourist cities by the State Council in 1982. The total area of Taian is 7,762 square kilometers with a population of 5.464 million people, making the population density 704 people per square kilometer. It has jurisdiction over six counties and districts: Taishan District, Daiyue District, Xintai City, Feicheng City, Ningyang County, and Dongping County.
Taian is a historic and cultural city. More than 5,000 years ago, a prosperous Dawenkou culture formed here; in 200 BC (at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty), "Taishan Commandery" was established, and in 1136 AD (the fourteenth year of the Jin Tianhui era), "Taian Army" was set up. The name "Taian" comes from the saying "If Mount Tai is peaceful, then all under heaven will be peaceful," symbolizing national peace and prosperity for the people.
Since the reform and opening-up, Taian's national economy has developed rapidly, social undertakings have flourished, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. In 2002, the gross domestic product reached 51.52 billion yuan, an increase of 13.9% over the previous year. Major industrial categories include machinery, electronics, chemicals, textiles, light industry, building materials, coal, electric power, and instruments. Agricultural products such as grain, cotton, oil, fruit, vegetables, and livestock are extremely abundant. Tourism, commerce, catering, intermediary services, consultation, and social service facilities are well-established. Foreign economic and trade cooperation has expanded to more than 90 countries and regions, with over 400 types of import and export goods. Businesspeople from more than 30 countries and regions have invested in establishing enterprises in Taian. Among them, Taikai Electric Group Co., Ltd. and Shandong Luneng Taishan Power Equipment Co., Ltd. are key high-tech enterprises under the National Torch Program. Provincial high-tech enterprises include Shandong Jingwei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Taian Zhengxin Electromechanical Co., Ltd., and Taian Uroka Automation Instrument Co., Ltd., etc.