Gaotang

Gaotang is a county in Liaocheng prefecture in western Shandong, on the historic Grand Canal plain. In 1997 it was named a "Chinese Home of Calligraphy and Painting Art," a reputation rooted in its being the birthplace of the great modern ink-painting master Li Kuchan, commemorated in a dedicated art museum, and of landscape painter Sun Dashi. The economy blends agriculture, home appliances and other light industry with a distinctive art-and-culture tourism sector built around painting villages and galleries. Local specialities include hair-thin hollow "hanging" noodles and Laowangzhai braised donkey meat. The climate is warm-temperate, with hot summers and cold, dry winters. For a visitor, Gaotang is a small, walkable town where Chinese ink-painting culture is woven into everyday life.

Read more ▾Read less ▴