Located along the northern coast of the Shandong Peninsula, Yantai is the largest fishing seaport of Shandong province.

With beautiful mountains, beaches and mild weather, the city is richly endowed with natural resources. Many Yantai-produced products were sent to the imperial court as tributes in ancient times.

Yantai sea cucumbers

Sea cucumber is a particularly famous local seafood and top-ranking tonic in Yantai. It has won the title of being a National Protected Geographical Indication.

Sea cucumbers are sausage-shaped animals with a leathery skin. They are widely used in China, and other cultures, as food and a folk medicine.

Though flavorless, sea cucumbers readily absorb the flavors of seasonings and the foods they are cooked with. Notable benefits of eating sea cucumber include potential cancer prevention, anti-inflammatory effects and accelerated wound healing.

Yantai sea cucumbers were used as imperial tributes beginning in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Sea cucumbers from Yantai. [Photo/Xianjingyantai.com]

The inkstones are specially produced on Tuoji Island. Inkstone production is a distinct craft dating back millennia to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The craft further prospered in the Ming and Qing dynasties and was listed as tribute in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Tuoji inkstone. [Photo/shm.com.cn]