Adhering to tradition while innovating, Shandong province is forging a new benchmark for cultural "two creations", referring to the creative transformation and development of excellent traditional Chinese cultures.

Yang Linmei, head of the ancient book restoration team at the Shandong Provincial Library, said that over the past year, the team has completed the restoration of three ancient books.

In 2022, Shandong issued the Action Plan for Setting New Benchmarks for "Two Creations" (2022-25) of Excellent Traditional Chinese Cultures. Among them, the "Shandong Cultural Heritage" project has been launched to comprehensively study, protect, compile and publish ancestral documents through generations within about 10 years.

During the Ninth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations in Qufu in September 2023, the first batch of achievements of the Qilu Library, consisting of 100 volumes, was released. The Qilu Library is divided into nine categories, including classics, research, annals, figures, cultural relics, literature and art, landscapes and technology, with a total of about 1.3 billion characters and over 4,000 volumes.

"We are striving to make the Qilu Library a first-class library that stands the test of history and the people," said Du Zexun, dean of the School of Literature at Shandong University and a member of the academic committee of the Qilu Library.

Shandong has also established various research platforms, such as the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies, the Qilu Culture Research Institute of Shandong Normal University and the Qi Culture Research Institute of Shandong University of Technology, to enhance the province's interpretation of outstanding traditional cultures.

In early March, Shandong announced five major archaeological discoveries in 2023, including the Huang'an site in Tengzhou, Zaozhuang, the Chenzhuang site in Gaoqing county, Zibo, and the Qingning village cemetery in Jiyang district, Jinan.

Sun Bo, director of the Shandong provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology, explained that, to date, Shandong has been selected for the "Top 10 Archaeological New Discoveries in China" 21 times with 24 projects.

Shandong also promotes a new way of life with virtues such as self-discipline, assisting others, filial piety, compassion, integrity, frugality, environmental friendliness, mutual development and sharing throughout society. Various regions have built virtue neighborhoods, parks and bases.