Liaocheng

Liaocheng, is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Dezhou to the northeast, Tai'an to the south, and the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the west. The Grand Canal flows through the city center. Its population was 5,789,863 at the 2010 census whom 1,229,768 lived in the built-up area made up of Donchangfu district, even though large parts remain rural.

During the Song dynasty, the area of present-day Liaocheng included the prefectures of Bo and Ji. In 2007, the city is named China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum.

Administration
The prefecture-level city of Liaocheng administers eight county-level divisions, including two districts, one county-level city, and five counties.
 * Dongchangfu District (东昌府区)
 * Chiping District (茌平区)
 * Linqing City (临清市)
 * Yanggu County (阳谷县)
 * Dong'e County (东阿县)
 * Gaotang County (高唐县)
 * Guan County (冠县)
 * Shen County (莘县)

These are further divided into 134 township-level divisions.

Education

 * Liaocheng University (聊城大学)
 * Liaocheng NO.1 high school (聊城一中)

People's Republic of China
In August 1949, Liaocheng was detached from Shandong and attached to Pingyuan. In November 1952, Pingyuan was dissolved and Liaocheng returned to Shandong.

Notable people

 * Fu Sinian (傅斯年; 1896–1950)
 * Ji Xianlin (季羡林; 1911–2009)
 * Kong Fansen (孔繁森; 1944–1994)
 * Wei Fenghe (魏凤和; b.1954)
 * Chen Xu (陳旭; b. 1962)

Attractions

 * Shanxi-Shaanxi Assembly Hall (short Shanshan Hall, )
 * Guangyue Tower
 * Iron Tower
 * Lion Building (site where - according to legend - Wu Song fought and killed Ximen Qing)
 * Linqing Mosque
 * Liaocheng Sports Park Stadium

Transportation
The town is served by Liaocheng railway station. A station on the high-speed network, Liaocheng West railway station, is under construction.

Sister cities
Liaocheng is a sister city of the following cities: Furthermore, there is a partnership with the district Offenbach in Germany.
 * Uiryeong County, South Gyeongsang, South Korea (since June 7, 2001)
 * Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia (October 14, 2003)
 * Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea (May 3, 2005)
 * Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia (since 2009)