# Zhucheng

Zhucheng (诸城, Zhūchéng) is a city in Shandong Province in Eastern China. The most notable fact about this city is that a large number of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed here.

## Understand

Zhucheng is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Weifang but lies approximately 100 km from downtown Weifang, at the junction of the Taiyi Mountains and the Jiaowei Plain in the southeastern part of Shandong.
The city is named after Zhufeng Village, a village in the north of the city where legend says Emperor Shun was born. The city is famous for the discovery of Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, Asia’s largest tyrannosaur species. It is also known as ‘Dinosaur City’, one of several cities in China to be given that title (two other such cities are Lufeng and Zigong).
As of 2023, the resident population of Zhucheng was around 1 million people.

### Climate

The climate belongs to the temperate monsoon climate, with more precipitation in summer and colder weather in winter.

## Get in

Zhucheng is an important transportation hub on the Shandong Peninsula. The Jiaoxin Railway and Qinglan Expressway run through the whole city, and six national highways and provincial highways are connected in all directions. You can reach the two major ports of Qingdao and Rizhao and the two major airports of Qingdao Airport and Weifang Airport can be reached within one and half hours by car.

### By plane

Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, to the east of Zhucheng, is the closest airport. There are 5 direct buses from the airport to Zhucheng each day. The bus arrives at the Huaxi Hotel (华玺大酒店) in downtown Zhucheng.
Other nearby airports are Weifang Airport in Weifang and Rizhao Airport in Rizhao.

### By train

* 36.062694119.3839931 Zhucheng Railway Station (诸城站), Zhanqian Street (站前街). Zhucheng’s only railway station is served by regular speed trains only. The nearest high-speed railway stations are in Qingdao. The train from Qingdao to Zhucheng takes approximately 2 hours. (updated Dec 2024)

### By bus

* 36.060921119.3872412 Zhucheng Bus Station (诸城汽车总站), Zhanqian Street (站前街) (opposite the railway station), ☏ +86 536 6213614. Zhucheng’s main bus station. There are buses from Qingdao, Rizhao, Weifang and other cities in the region. (updated Dec 2024)

## Get around
### By bus

The most common bus routes in Zhucheng, such as No. 10, No. 8, No. 2, No. 9, etc., can basically reach anywhere in the city. The buses are all air-conditioned.

### By taxi

Taxis in Zhucheng can be called through apps such as Didi Taxi or Gaode Map. The prices are very cheap and usually do not exceed ¥20 for trips within the city.

### By bicycle

In Zhucheng, you can rent or ride an electric bicycle by scanning the QR code. The price is about ¥2 for 30 minutes.

## See

* 35.998389119.4041691 Chaorantai (超然台), 64 Beiguan Road (北关路64号) (take either bus no. 10 or bus K5), ☏ +86 536 6567076. Oct-Apr: 08:30-11:30, 13:30-17:00; May-Sep: 08:30-11:30, 14:00-17:30; no entry in last 30 minutes; closed on Mondays. Chaorantai is the foundation of the city wall, which was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was expanded by Su Shi, a famous writer, in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (1075). In 1948, Chaorantai was unfortunately destroyed during the Chinese Civil War. In January 2010, a new Chaorantai was completed at the original site. Free. (updated Dec 2024)
* 35.813276119.4529372 The Zhucheng section of the the Great Wall of Qi (诸城齐国长城遗址) (best reached by car or taxi). The ruins of the Great Wall of Qi in Zhucheng are fairly well preserved. Note: the coordinates used here are for the ruins near Hanjiagou Village (韩家沟村). More ruins may be found near Bogeya Vllage (鹁鸽崖村). (updated Dec 2024)
* 36.009938119.3900513 Zhucheng Dinosaur Museum (诸城恐龙博物馆), 3 Mizhou West Road (密州西路3号) (inside Dinosaur Park; take bus no. 2, 9 or 16), ☏ +86 536 6155678, dizhigongyuan@163.com. 09:00-17:00. The Zhucheng Dinosaur Museum covers an area of 5,400 square meters and is one of the largest dinosaur museums in northern China. A highlight of the museum is the world's second tallest hadrosaur fossil skeleton, a Zhuchengosaurus maximus measuring 9.1 meters high and 16.6 meters long. ¥60. (updated Dec 2024)
* 35.945952119.3329364 Zhucheng China Tyrannosaurus Museum (诸城中国暴龙馆), 5389 Zangkejia Road (臧克家路5389号) (take bus no. 3, 215 or 216 to Lübiao (吕标)；the museum is about 2.5km south of there), ☏ +86 536 6155678, dizhigongyuan@163.com. 09:00-17:00. Displays fossils of Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, a dinosaur species that was first discovered at this very site. ¥25. (updated Jan 2025)
* 35.963668119.6614045 Qingyun Temple (青云寺), Qingyun Village, Danjiadianzi Community, Linjiacun Town (林家村镇丹家店子社区青云村) (best reached by car or taxi; there is no public transport in the area). 09:00-21:00. Qingyun Temple faces north and south, and has three main halls made of brick and wood, with blue bricks and black tiles. There are many ridge beasts on the roof, and there are also dragons on it. The gate of the temple is more than three meters high, and the two windows are very large, which is quite impressive. There are couplets carved on the pillars. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was demolished as part of the "smash the four olds” campaign, leaving only a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree in the south of the temple. On May 18, 1978, a batch of bronze statues were found at the site of the temple and relocated to the Zhucheng Museum. The temple was later rebuilt. (updated Dec 2024)
* 36.01794119.3995016 Zhucheng Museum (诸城市博物馆), 125 Heping North Street (和平北街125号) (bus nos. 7, 11, 12 and K3), ☏ +86 536 6062562, zcbwg2562@163.com. Spring and summer opening hours: 08:30-11:30, 14:00-17:30; Autumn and winter opening hours: 08:30-11:30, 13:30-17:00; closed on Mondays. Free. (updated Jan 2025)
* 35.936249119.4438947 Zhucheng Zoo (诸城市动物园), Dongsu Village West Side, Mizhou Subdistrict (密州街道东俗村西侧) (take bus no. 215, 216, 207, 208 or K3 to Zhujia Village (朱家村); the zoo entrance is about 1 km east of the bus stop), ☏ +86 536 6076111. 08:30-17:30. This is a relatively young zoo, having been founded in 2017. It has African lions, Siberian tigers, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, camels, deers, bears, and various other animals. Besides animals, the zoo also has an assortment of amusement rides. Standard entry fee is ¥70; children under 1.2 meters and seniors over 70 can enter for free. (updated Jan 2025)

## Do

It's a good choice to go to Zhucheng for a walk on Changshan Mountain.
One festival with local characteristics is the God of Wealth Festival, which is held on the 22nd day of the seventh lunar month. The festival embodies people's desire to become richer.

## Buy

You can buy some specialties of Zhucheng. Zhucheng's specialties include smoked pork, chestnuts, shredded mustard, and liquor, etc. The big shopping malls in Zhucheng include Baisheng Mall and Jialejia Mall.

## Sleep

There are many clean and cheap hotels in Zhucheng, including chain hotels and star hotels.
* 35.99906119.375931 All Seasons Hotel (quanji 全季). Opened in November 2022. The hotel provides free parking. ¥280. (updated Dec 2024)
* 36.02823119.400462 Blue Sea (蓝海), North Ring Road (above the Aegean Shopping Center). A comfortable business hotel. There is a buffet restaurant in the hotel. ¥300. (updated Dec 2024)

## Go next

* Qingdao
* Rizhao
* Weifang