Xintai

Xintai (Chinese: 新泰; pinyin: Xīntài) is a county-level city in the central part of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is the easternmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Tai'an and is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the southeast of downtown Tai'an. Xintai has a long history dating back to the origins of the Chinese civilisation. In 1966, scientists concluded that a homo teeth fossil found in Xintai's Wuzhutai village belonged to a female teenager and that homo erectus were already living in the area five million years ago. Moreover, many primitive social sites belonging to ancient cultures were found on both sides of the Chaiwen River after archaeological excavations, such as the Dawenkou, Longshan and Yueshi cultures. This proves that the ancient Chinese had already created a prelude to the Oriental human civilisation in Xintai some four or five thousand years ago.[citation needed] In the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Xintai served as the capital of the Qi (杞) state. In 219 BC, Qin Shi Huang held a ceremony at Mount Liangfu. Emperor Wu and Emperor Guangwu of the Han dynasty also held similar ceremonies in Xintai. Besides, there were numerous famous Chinese people from Xintai, such as peace activist Liu Xiahui and musician Shi Kuang. In the early Qing dynasty, in order to improve transport between north and south China, the Yongzheng Emperor ordered the construction of a new connecting road. After Yangliu station was set up, Xintai became an important centre of transport between the north and south.