This low-key small city in Shandong has even impressed Qianlong.

Appreciate this northern water city with "a city in the lake, a lake in the city, and a river integrated with the city and lake". 1. The largest urban lake in northern China - Dongchang Lake. "In the south, there is the beauty of West Lake in Hangzhou, and in the north, there is the fragrance of rouge in Liaocheng. It refers to the largest urban lake in the north - Dongchang Lake. This lake was formed as a moat during the Song Dynasty, and later the water from the Grand Canal and the Yellow River was introduced, forming the current lake surface. It is the largest urban lake in the north." Dongchang Lake covers an area of 6.3 square kilometers, comparable to West Lake, and is five times larger than Daming Lake in the provincial capital of Jinan. I took a boat ride at night and enjoyed the view of the ancient city decorated with lights, as well as the reflection of bridge-shaped towers in the lake. It was really pleasant. In the center of Dongchang Lake lies the ancient city of Liaocheng, which has a history of thousands of years. It is square-shaped with each side measuring 1 kilometer, resembling a chessboard. With the Ming Dynasty's Guangyue Tower as the center, the streets and alleys around it are clearly defined. The ancient city is also known as the "microblogging capital," with miniature museums scattered throughout, becoming a concentrated display of Liaocheng's splendid culture. On both sides of the ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, streets and alleys are arranged, and various shops and residences are built along the slopes and the river. Walking in the ancient city, you will see small and large stone-paved docks, towering ancient locust trees, as well as Song Dynasty iron towers, Ming Dynasty Guangyue Tower, Qing Dynasty Shanxi Guild Hall, and traditional folk art performances. All of these allow people to experience the prosperity and glory of the canal city in the past. 2. Guangyue Tower, which Emperor Qianlong climbed six times. The highest building in the ancient city is Guangyue Tower, which is also the center of the ancient city. It is surprising that this tower is as famous as the Yellow Crane Tower and Yueyang Tower, and enjoys the reputation of "although the Yellow Crane and Yueyang should also pay homage". Many literati and scholars have climbed the tower to compose poems and essays, reflecting on the past and present. Among them, Emperor Kangxi climbed the tower four times, while Emperor Qianlong climbed it six times and wrote 13 poems about it. However, none of them became famous, and they did not add much to the glory of Guangyue Tower. 3. The Shanxi-Shaanxi Association Hall, which was built in 1966. Another national treasure in the ancient city is the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, located on the west bank of the canal in the east gate of the ancient city. It is a combination of a temple and a guild hall built by merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi. The entire clubhouse cost over 60,000 taels of silver and took 66 years to build. The stone used in the clubhouse was transported from Shanxi and Shaanxi. To this day, the building of the clubhouse remains well-preserved, with exquisite carvings and paintings inside. Listen to opera and drink tea here, spend a leisurely afternoon. I wonder if the wealthy merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi back then did the same, discussing big business deals while enjoying opera and tea, feeling so at ease. 4. Endless memories of Chatian cuisine. In addition, the food in Liaocheng is also particularly rich. It's worth coming here just for the food. There is a kind of food in Liaocheng called "Guada", which sounds very special. It is named after the sound "Guada" made during its production. Another interesting dish is Wu Dalang's pancake and Pan Jinlian's black-hearted pickles. When eating, use Wu Dalang's pancake to sandwich the pickles and enjoy the crispy and golden Wu Dalang's pancake with the fragrant and soft Pan Jinlian's pickles. It is nutritious and leaves a lingering aftertaste. Perhaps this is the best expression of love between Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian. The delicious food in Liaocheng and the "Four Fruits Butterfly" of the Grand Canal: Misandao, Jujube Sand Pastry, Green Bean Cake, and Pepper Salt Pastry. The Grand Canal Banquet includes four dishes: Dongchang Iron Rooster, One-Dollar Smoked Fish, Fried Dongchang Lake Shrimp, and Nanlian Pond Ten-Hole Lotus Root. Other famous dishes include Fan Huaimeng's roasted pigeon, Guanxian crispy lamb, Qixing Juyi pot roasted chicken, Ejiao Baobao snow pear, steamed Yellow River carp, hollow glass ball meatballs, Linqing Shixiang noodles, Dongchang sweet foam, and so on. Each dish is unforgettable.