Where time tastes like dates

Tucked in the far northeast of Dezhou, in Shandong Province, Laoling has been called the "Hometown of Golden-Silk Jujubes" for three thousand years. Drive half an hour out of town and you enter theThousand-Year Jujube Forest(national AAAA-level), a vast orchard in Zhuji Town where more than a thousand trees are over a thousand years old and a hundred-year-old trunk is considered merely middle-aged. With a 95% forest cover, it is known locally as a "natural oxygen bar." Wander among theJujube Capital Stele, the Mother-and-Child Tree, the Hundred-Variety Garden and the Oath-of-Brotherhood Garden, and step inside theChinese Golden-Silk Jujube Culture Museum(AA-level, free), said to be the largest public museum dedicated to red-date culture in China. If you visit inmid-to-late September, the branches bow under ripe fruit—and picking them is half the fun.

A film city built in 218 days

The most surprising stop in Laoling is not ancient at all. In 2023, the crew ofDetective Chinatown 1900was hunting for a period-perfect San Francisco Chinatown. Laoling answered by throwing up228 buildings in 218 days. The result isLaoling Film Studio, which opened to visitors in May 2025:

Splendid Tang Park (Jinxiu Tangyuan)— 189 Tang-style buildings, a mansion, the Western Market, live welcome ceremonies, Tang-dance performances and folk-art shows. It also hosted the TV dramaBlossoms in Adversity (Guose Fanghua).

Chinatown 1900— a 1:1 reconstruction of a 1900s San Francisco Chinatown, complete with trams on rails and period English signage, where visitors interact with "detective" NPCs.

Since opening, the studio has hosted more than 50 productions, includingNanjing Photo StudioandForty-Seven. Hanfu rental, immersive theatre and evening shows—including traditional iron-flower fireworks—make it a half-day-to-evening destination.

A 600-year-old Confucian temple

Back in town on Kaiyuan Road lies theConfucian Temple Ancient Cultural Tourism Area(national AAA-level). The temple itself was founded in1369, the second year of the Hongwu Emperor's reign, making it one of the largest and best-preserved Confucian temples north of the Yangtze River. Listed as a Shandong provincial protected monument and recorded inA Dictionary of Chinese Famous Sites, it was restored in 2007 and now anchors a larger district including Chongsheng Park, an art gallery and an antique-style cultural street. It is free to enter.

Red history beneath the jujube trees

Within the same Zhuji Town jujube grove sits theJi-Lu Border Region Revolutionary Memorial Park(national AAAA-level). Its museum was named aNational Second-Class Museumin 2024. The park remembers the anti-Japanese base area straddling Shandong and Hebei—the local saying is "Yimeng in the south, Ji-Lu in the north"—with a memorial hall, square sculptures, the former residence and experience tunnel of "Aunt Chang," and a forest of martyrs' stelae. It is free and closed on Mondays.

What to eat and take home

Golden-Silk Jujubes— pinch one and pull: the flesh stretches into fine golden threads, the town's signature. Look for jujube cake, jujube tea and candied dates.

Zhengdian Matou Shaobing— a horseshoe-shaped baked flaky bread from Zhengdian Town with over 300 years of history. Legend says it was offered to the Qianlong Emperor on his southern tours. Crisp outside, tender inside, it carries three aromas: toasted, clean and sesame.

Also worth trying: jujube-wood smoked chicken, dried tofu skins, and local mutton soup.

Practical tips

Best time:September–October for ripe jujubes; the film studio and temple work year-round.

Getting there:self-drive is easiest—take the Binzhou–Dezhou Expressway to the Laoling exit; Zhuji Town's groves and memorial park are a short drive north of town.

Layering it:Day one in the jujube forest and revolutionary memorial; Day two the Confucian temple, then the film studio for the afternoon and evening show.