To help more people learn about Shandong, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism will recruit 20,000 Chinese cultural experts from around the world as Confucius tourism envoys to promote the province's culture and tourism.

The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 has hit the world's travel industry hard. Although people have been prevented from traveling around as of late, the tourism sector will recover after the epidemic, said an official from the department.

The department also joined hands with the Confucius Institute Headquarters to promote the province's culture and tourism through online platforms.

The massive open online course (MOCC) platform of Confucius Institute Online has launched courses on Qufu, Confucius' hometown, and Qingdao, the beer capital of China.

A slideshow detailing the Confucius tourism envoy recruitment has been released on the homepage of the official website of the Confucius Institute Online and the homepage of the official APP of the Chinese Bridge Club, where students can also download resources related to Shandong’s culture and tourism.

According to the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, its promotion has covered all online platforms of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, which means that nearly 10 million online Chinese learners worldwide can learn about Shandong.

Shandong province is the birthplace of Confucius and Mencius, as well as the cradle of Chinese civilization, and is also home to stunning natural scenery.