Jinan Travel Guide

Jinan is the capital of Shandong province, lying at the northern foot of Mount Tai and on the southern bank of the Yellow River. Many springs rise in the center of the city, which has long been known by the name City of Springs. The seventy-two famous springs chosen in the Jin dynasty can still be seen in places across the city.The representative Baotu Spring is called the number one spring under heaven for the way its water surges upward. Pavilions and gardens are laid out around it, and it serves as a place of rest for residents. Daming Lake, formed where the spring water gathers, is known for its lakeside willows and lotus blossoms, and viewing the lake from a sightseeing boat is one of its pleasures.Thousand Buddha Mountain, rising in the south of the city, preserves cliff-carved Buddhas cut in the Sui dynasty, and from its summit the city and Daming Lake can be taken in at a glance. In Liubu, in the outskirts, the Simen Pagoda, said to be the only Sui-era stone pagoda remaining in China, and the Thousand Buddha Cliff carvings of the Tang dynasty offer a touch of old Buddhist culture.Jinan is one of the home grounds of Shandong cuisine, known as Lu cuisine, with a refined seasoning that lets salt carry the flavor. Signature dishes include sweet-and-sour carp, nine-turn intestines and youxuan. Linked to Beijing and Qingdao by high-speed rail and close to Tai'an at the foot of Mount Tai, Jinan is a city well suited to a slow tour of springs and old temples.