Sunlit by name and restless by habit, Rizhao sits on Shandong’s south-eastern coast with the Yellow Sea at its feet and trade in its hands. It is a port city, a beach city and a sports city; all three at once.
日照，名中带“日”，气质也带着海边的亮。它位于山东东南沿海，脚下是黄海，手里是贸易。这里既是港口城，也是海滨城，更是体育城；三种身份同时成立。
The city’s name goes back to an old phrase meaning the first light of the rising sun falls here before anywhere else. That image still suits Rizhao, but the modern city is less about poetry than momentum. It has grown through sea lanes, roads and a coastline that keeps drawing people east.
日照的名字，源自那句“日出初光先照”。这幅画面至今仍贴切，但今天的日照早已不只是诗意，它更像一种向前的速度。城市依靠海路、公路和不断吸引人流的海岸线成长起来。
Rizhao’s permanent population was 2,968,365 in the 2020 census, say the city’s own statistical material and the Seventh National Population Census. That number matters because it shows Rizhao is not a small seaside resort dressed up as a city; it is a full working place with a large hinterland.
根据城市统计资料和第七次全国人口普查，日照2020年常住人口为2,968,365人。这个数字很重要，因为它说明日照并不是一座被包装出来的海边度假地；它是一座有完整腹地的实干城市。
Port, Trade And A City Built For Work
港口、贸易与一座靠实干生长的城市
Rizhao’s modern story changed shape when the port took off. The opening of Shijiu Port in the 1980s gave the city a hard industrial backbone; later, Rizhao Port expanded into a major coastal gateway. Coal, ore and bulk cargo gave the city scale, while foreign trade and fisheries kept the local economy broad rather than single-minded.
日照的现代故事，因港口而改写。上世纪八十年代石臼港启用，为这座城市打下了坚实的工业骨架；后来，日照港不断扩展，成为重要的沿海门户。煤炭、矿石和散货给了城市体量，对外贸易和渔业则让经济结构不至于过窄。
This is not a city that hides its working life. Ships, warehouses and transport links are part of the urban scenery. Even the port’s history tells a blunt truth. Rizhao was not built around scenery first and business second; business came first and scenery learned to live with it.
这座城市并不掩饰自己的“工作面”。船舶、仓库和交通线本就是城市风景的一部分。连港口的历史也说明一个直接的事实：日照不是先有风景、后有生意；恰恰相反，生意先来，风景慢慢与之共处。
Water, Wind And A City That Learned To Compete
水、风与一座学会竞争的城市
Rizhao also made itself through sport. The Olympic Water Sports Park turned the city’s shoreline into a stage, and the China Water Sports Games gave it a national sporting profile. That is why Rizhao is often called China’s water sports capital; it earned the label with events, not slogans.
日照也靠体育打出了自己的名片。奥林匹克水上公园把海岸线变成了赛场，中国水上运动会又给了这座城市全国性的体育曝光度。因此，日照常被称作中国“水上运动之都”；这个称号不是喊出来的，而是一场场赛事打出来的。
The coast helps, of course. Wanpingkou remains the city’s best-known seafront, but Rizhao is broader than a beach photo. The Rizhao Coastal National Forest Park, the long shoreline and the mountains in Wulian and Ju counties give the city more than one register. Sea, sand and green hills all matter here.
海岸线当然帮了大忙。万平口依然是最有名的海滨名片，但日照远不止一张海边照片。日照海滨国家森林公园、绵长海岸线，以及五莲和莒县的山地，让这座城市拥有不止一种气质。海、沙、绿山，在这里都很重要。
The city has also been updating its face. The old urban planning exhibition hall has been turned into a new city reception space tied to green tea and urban presentation, which is a neat reminder that Rizhao is trying to sell itself as a place to visit, not just a place to pass through.
这座城市的面貌也在更新。原来的城市规划展览馆已被升级为与绿茶和城市展示相关的新会客空间，这很清楚地说明，日照不只想让人经过，更想让人停留。
Rizhao is served by Rizhao Shanzihe International Airport and Rizhao Station, with high-speed and conventional rail ties linking it into the wider Shandong network. The city is also plugged into the coastal road system, which keeps Linyi, Qingdao, Weifang and the Jiangsu coast within easy reach.
日照由日照山字河国际机场和日照站服务，高铁与普速铁路把它接入更大的山东路网。城市同时也连在沿海公路体系上，因此与临沂、青岛、潍坊以及江苏沿海之间的往来都相当方便。
Rizhao’s charm is that it does not need to choose between work and water. It has both. That is what makes it feel modern; not polished to the point of emptiness, but busy, useful and still open to the sea.
日照的魅力在于，它不必在“工作”和“海水”之间二选一。它两者兼有。也正因为如此，这座城市显得很现代；不是那种被打磨得空空荡荡的现代，而是忙碌、实用，而且始终面向大海的现代。
