Dezhou, China

Dezhou (Chinese: 德州; pinyin: Dézhōu) is a city of around 400,000 people, located in the far North West of Shandong province of China. It lies on the main rail route from Beijing to Shanghai.

Dezhou city refers to both the sub-province district (Split into 11 counties) and the urban city which accounts for one of those counties. The city proper is spread over two main areas: The old part in the West, and across the river, the New Economic Developed Zone.

Dezhou is best known around Shandong and China for it's braised chicken and it's watermelon. It's biggest historical attraction is the tomb of SuLuWang; The Sultan of Sulu (Sultan Paduka Batara) paid tribute to Emperor Yongle in 1417 and died in Dezhou, on his way back to the Philippines. The kings's Muslim descendants are still present in modern Dezhou. The tomb is well preserved and has been declared a national heritage site.

The Chinese characters used to write Dezhou are also used as an abbreviation for the Chinese name for Texas (德克薩斯州).

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