Shouguang is located on an alluvial plain drained by the
Mihe River. This region of Shandong is one of the first places where grains were cultivated. It was also the site of the Neolithic
Dawenkou and
Beixin cultures. The settlement of Shouguang can be traced back to a
Dongyi settlement around 3000 B.C. It was then ruled by
State of Qi during the
Eastern Zhou dynasty. After Qi was conquered by Qin, Shouguang was put under the administration of
Qi Commandery. During the
Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD), Shouguang was established as a county. During that time, it was already one of the largest grain cultivation bases in China, as well as a salt trading center. Shouguang was under the administration of
Beihai Commandery from Han to Sui dynasty. In the 6th century,
Jia Sixie was born and lived here, he wrote an ancient agricultural reference work
Qimin Yaoshu. From 6th to 13th century, Shouguang was a county under
Qing Prefecture. During the
Ming and Qing Dynasties, Shouguang was under the administration of
Qingzhou Prefecture, then vegetables from Shouguang were well regarded. In January 1868, the
Nian army got completely annihilated at the mouth of Jiaolai River in Shouguang. After the establishment of
central planning under
Mao Zedong's rule, the city lost its standing as a vegetable producer. In 1984, the city government built a vegetable wholesales market and improved transportation of produce. The market would grow to become China's largest vegetable trading center. In 1989, farmers started utilizing plastic greenhouses and started focusing on higher quality produce. In 2000, Shouguang hosted the World Vegetables Expo. Between 2000 and 2011, the annual growth rate of the local agricultural industry was 11.12%. ==Administrative divisions==