Three small towns in Jining, East China's Shandong province were recently listed among the first group of fancy cultural tourism towns by the province's Department of Culture and Tourism.

Two of the towns on the list, Nishan Small Town and Shimenshan Small Town, are both located in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, as well as the birthplace of the great ancient Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius.

Nishan Small Town boasts a number of cultural sites, such as a temple of Confucius and Nishan Academy. It is also home to several intangible cultural heritages like embroidery and paper-cutting.

Nishan Sacred Land is a provincial-level cultural tourism project. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]

Shimenshan Small Town has two 4A-leval tourist attractions at the national level and Shimenshan Scenic Area is among the first group of national forest parks. The infrastructure in the town has been greatly improved, with many new restaurants and hotels available now to entertain tourists.

A tourist resort in Shimenshan Small Town boasts a sea of flowers, amusement parks for children, fishing spots, as well as hotels. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]

Niulou Small Town is located in Yanzhou district of Jining. It features many residential houses that are unique to southwestern Shandong.

Niulou Small Town has many houses that are unique to southwestern Shandong. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]