Jinan

The Spring City: Baotu Spring, Daming Lake and the spring-fed lanes of the Old Town let you soak up the springs and go boating in the city center, with plenty of everyday flavor from Shandong cuisine and bazi pork.

Jinan is the capital of Shandong Province, at the junction of the central Shandong hills and the North China Plain, with the foothills of Mount Tai to the south and the Yellow River to the north. It is known as the "Spring City" for the 72 famous springs that well up within it. The four spring groups of Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, Pearl Spring and Five Dragon Pool, together with Daming Lake and the moat, form the setting of "mountain views all around, a lake filling half the city"; Lao She's essay Winter in Jinan was written about this very place. The climate is temperate monsoon. April–May has abundant springs and pleasant weather, while September–October brings crisp autumn air and the springs at their strongest after the rainy season, making these the best seasons; July–August is muggy and rainy but the springs gush most spectacularly; winter is cold and dry, and Daming Lake and the springs have a special charm after snow, with winter swimmers and rime ice at Daming Lake. Sights are highly concentrated: first, the Old Town core – Baotu Spring, Five Dragon Pool, Quancheng Square, Black Tiger Spring, the moat, Furong Street, QuShuiting Street, Baihuazhou and Daming Lake, all within 3 km and easily linked on foot, the essence of a Jinan visit; second, Thousand Buddha Mountain in the south, for views over the Spring City; third, the Shandong Museum and the provincial art museum in the east; fourth, the suburbs – Baimai Spring in Zhangqiu, Zhujiayu, Lingyan Temple (Changqing) and the Jinan stretch of the Yellow River. Getting around: Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport is about 30 km from downtown, 50 minutes by airport bus or taxi, with transfers to Metro Line 3; Jinan Station is on the west side of the Old Town (about 20 minutes' walk to Baotu Spring), and Jinan West is the main Beijing–Shanghai high-speed station (about 1.5 hours to Beijing, 3.5 hours to Shanghai), with Tai'an and Qufu both within an hour; within the city, Metro Lines 1, 2 and 3 plus buses and taxis are convenient, and walking and shared bikes are best in the Old Town. We recommend 2 days: on Day 1, Baotu Spring and Five Dragon Pool in the morning, Furong Street snacks at noon, QuShuiting Street, Baihuazhou and Daming Lake in the afternoon, then a moat cruise or a stroll by Black Tiger Spring in the evening; on Day 2, Thousand Buddha Mountain in the morning, the Shandong Museum in the afternoon, and the musical fountain at Quancheng Square at dusk. Tips: spring flow rises and falls with rainfall, and water levels are sometimes low in late spring and early summer, with August–October the most spectacular; at Black Tiger Spring you can fill buckets with spring water to drink directly, and the locals queueing for water are a sight in themselves; moat cruises (about ¥100) link Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring and Daming Lake; bazi pork, youxuan (oil-spiral bread), tianmo (sweet porridge), Jiuzhuan large intestine and sweet-and-sour carp are must-try Shandong dishes and snacks.

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