The Yellow River basin was China's cultural centre during the Neolithic period, and so it comes as no surprise that the area around present day Jinan has been inhabited for over 4,000 years. The oldest finds in the region are from the Longshan culture, a Late Neolithic culture noted for its advanced black 'egg-shell pottery', sometimes as thin as a millimetre.
Fast forward past the Shang and Zhou dynasty. After the fall of the Zhou dynasty many independent states arose during a time known as the Spring and Autumn period. Eventually only a handful remained, striving for power during the Warring States period. During this era Jinan lay on the border of the state of Qi and the state of Lu. The great wall of Qi, to the East of Jinan, is a remnant of this age. It is the oldest Great Wall in China, and portions are accessible as open air museum. Lu (鲁) on the other hand was the home state of Confucius, and the character is still used as abbreviation for Shandong.
It was during the Han dynasty that Jinan became an important economic and cultural hub, and its role only became more prominent during the following dynasties. Some well known poets, painters and even a Han dynasty ruler all called Jinan their home.
Two events which both connected Jinan to the outside world in a new way spurred development and brought Jinan firmly into the modern age. The first was a natural evolution. In 1852 the Yellow River shifted it course, moving to the bedding of the Ji river from which Jinan derives its name. The Yellow River, being connected to the Grand Canal, now connected Jinan both to the Imperial capital in the North, and to agricultural areas in the South.
By the end of the 19th century the Germany Empire had established a concession in Qingdao on the Shandong coast, and a similar German area was built in what is now the area around the train station. The Germans built a railway connecting Jinan and Qingdao, this however was met with strong local resistance, which eventually led to the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion. Despite all this the railway was opened for traffic in 1904, opening up Jinan to foreign trade.
Jinan is located in the North China Plain and has a temperate climate.
The heat and moisture can be crushing in the summer when the breeze doesn't get down in the basin. Infamously hot and humidity in summer as it is one of the five furnaces of China.
You can fly to Jinan, but the airport is located 40km northeast of downtown. A taxi will take an hour and cost about ¥100 (foreigners might be asked to pay a higher fixed price or be taken a detour). There is a shuttle bus between the airport and Jinan's Central Railway Station that runs hourly from 06:00 to 18:00. There is also a shuttle bus between the airport and Jinan's downtown area (with its final stop being the Simpson Hotel) which also runs after 18:00. Both shuttle buses each cost ¥20. A subroute of bus 16 also goes to the airport.
You can find flights from most major cities with Shandong Airlines [http://www.shandongair.com/] being the major carrier. (Shandong Airlines code-shares with Air China, so your ticket and check-in may well say Air China.)
For the train, you will likely arrive at Jinan train station in the centre of the city or Jinan West, about 20km further away.
Jinan is on the major line from [wiki=5466ee572bcbc75830d044e66ab429bc]Shanghai[/wiki] to [wiki=78fb473f134eed43c959f9ebdeeb4050]Beijing[/wiki] so you can take the train. With the new China High Speed Rail train that runs from Beijing to Shanghai and stops in Jinan, the trip from Beijing to Jinan takes about 1.5 hours and the trip from Shanghai to Jinan takes approx. 3.5 hours. The CRH train stops at the new Jinan West train station all the way on the western outskirts of the city. A taxi ride from there to center of city will take you over 30 minutes and there are also various bus routes which will take longer.
Other fast trains from Beijing go to Jinan main station. There's plenty of transport choices outside: bus 83 stops nearby to take you downtown to more options, K51 takes you to Quancheng Square and Thousand Buddha Mountain.
Using a slow train it's about five hours from Beijing and nine from [wiki=5466ee572bcbc75830d044e66ab429bc]Shanghai[/wiki], but the tickets are much cheaper.
Several travel agencies around the city sell train tickets for an additional ¥5.
It is very easy to get to Jinan with lots of buses running all day and some at night. Be sure to ask which station the bus will arrive in as there are two main ones, the long distance bus station (长途汽车站) and the train station bus station (客运汽车站).
Several expressways connect to Jinan.
Buses are often overcrowded. Still, if you are interested in traveling as the locals do, hop on.
Buses are ¥1, or ¥2 for air-conditioned. Buses that begin with K are supposedly air-conditioned and even if the a/c is off or not working, you are likely to get a seat on these buses as they are much less crowded than the ¥1 (no a/c) buses. It should be noted though, that a line either is a K-line or not, same lines don't have K buses and non K buses operating on them, so mostly it is not possible to prefer either type without some walking being involved.
Most busses with two digits serve the central city. Three digit ones are either coming from or going to the suburbs. Bus stops are easily identifiable and bus numbers are written in the Western numbers both on the busses and at the bus stops. The lists of stops for a given route are posted at every bus stop, but in Chinese only, although the beginning and end stations are written in pinyin.
Taxis drivers rarely speak English, and they will often not be able to read maps or your destination in letters. So to be certain to reach your destination, make sure you have it written out in Chinese. Price for shorter trips from ¥7.50. It can be difficult to get a taxi between 07:30-08:30 and 17:00-19:00.
Jinan has 72 springs and is famous for them from ancient times. However, nowadays some of them do not have much water.
* Has several temples and pavilions. Especially beautiful late in the afternoon, when the locals come to hang out with their feet in the river. Avoid at weekends or Chinese holidays, when it is impossibly noisy and crowded.
* Sounding like the roar of a tiger gurgles out through three carved tiger heads into the city moat.
* It has a very deep pool of spring water and a few natural springs. Very tranquil park with lush greens and ancient Chinese architecture. It also has a temple for a Tang Dynasty army general Qin Qiong who was living in Jinan. In summer, people can walk on the stone tiled floor with spring water flowing on them and kids can have water fights. Beautiful and relaxed place even during Chinese holidays.
Sometimes has travelling exhibits of interest. Check out the calendar dating from 134 BC, and bronzes from the Shang and Zhou eras (1766-770 BC).
* Or just browse the interminable shiny floored shopping malls, such as the Silver Plaza next to the Hotel Sofitel, near the Square, and marvel at the new wealth of this emerging powerful nation.
Large park with pagodas, temples and an amusement park. The largest Taoist temple in Jinan is located here as well as a temple in memorial of some local official. Also large natural lake formed from a number of springs and with a large fountain. There are boats for rent. Nice landscaping with willow trees and lotus flowers. Festivals and exhibitions take place in the park. Paid (30RMB) is only western and northern half of lake, which is much more crowded and more noisy than nice, relaxed and free (!) eastern and southern bank of lake, it's tourist scam (one would expect less tourists in paid section and not opposite) and avoid visiting paid section and enjoy relaxed beautiful eastern and southern part, there are also tons of overpriced street stands in paid section with double/triple prices of ice cream/drinks.
* A small hill (with many steps) you can climb to view the smog haze and overlook the city itself on clearer days. Allow about half an hour to reach the top. Features temples, caves, pavilions, terraces, towers, and er Buddhas. On the eastern side of mountain stands the Shandong Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery for Revolution of 1911, a key historical relic site under provincial protection. Other scenic spots on the Mountain include the Tang-Dynasty Pagoda Tree Pavilion, Shandong Nine Clouds, and Cloud Passing Zen Temple, etc. If you prefer a bus ride, then you can go by bus to the top of the mountain along a mountain road winding up the eastern side of the mountain. A ski lift system and a slide also operate on the mountain, so if the Buddhas get boring, you can always slide down the mountain.
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A great place to go any weeknight, and observe why China has relatively few obese people.
You can join people dancing, playing many sports, writing poetry (calligraphy) with water, etc. Bring umbrella/cap during daytime since there is missing almost any green in square. In the centre of the square is an underground supermarket and McDonald's and other shops.
Beautiful area which is always in a splendour of color in the fall. Red Leaf valley is a private park which encompasses mountains and lakes of great beauty, as well as a rare bird sanctuary. However, getting there is next to impossible without being fluent in Mandarin or having a Chinese translator due to the obscure address of the bus service and the weird rule of having to buy your tickets one day in advance. If traveling by car even a fluent Mandarin speaker may have difficulty in understanding directions: the local dialect is impenetrable! the address to followed to reach Red leaves valley.
* A series of small but cool Buddhist grottoes and scripture carved directly into the side of mountains and cliffs. To access it, you literally have to climb through a short cave system, so bring flashlights. The area is under development and you are unlikely to run into people other than maybe some construction workers. A great opportunity to get up close and personal with ancient carvings. The downside is that the area is difficult to access, as the options are to either drive 2 hours around a mountain or 20 minutes through a military base (the latter being the better option for those with connections).
* It's an old-fashioned zoo with cement cages. There is a new panda that they got in Feb. 2013. Tickets ¥25.
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* Boasts the Jinan Wild Life World forest safari park and is first class even in Asia."
* Peaks, pavilions, terraces, bridges, including the fascinatingly named Fairy-Greeting Bridge.
* Constructed in 611AD (Sui Dynasty) with Buddha, and 1000 year old pine tree.
* Founded about 1,600 years ago and "one of the Four Scenic Spots of Temple in the World". Pavilions, bridges, halls, ponds, terraces, Buddhas, stone tablets, caves. The attractions include "One Line of Sky, Double Pine Bridge, and other grotesque spots like Spring on Mirror Pond.
For clothes make your way over to Shanshi East Road (山师东路 shānshī dōng lù). There you will find a handful of adjoining buildings each full with tiny stores, and tiny aisles between them. It might be hard to find something here to satisfy a western taste, but at least you pay Chinese prices.
For much more upmarket shopping experience head over to a newly developed area called Joiwalk (泉乐坊 quán lè fāng), sitting on Xian W Ln (县西巷 xiàn xī xiàng), just off Quancheng Rd. Spread over three levels with streaming water and elevated walkways, this open air shopping complex provides a great afternoon strolling opportunity. Note that prices are what you would pay in Europe, so don't come here looking for a bargain. But window shoppers might be happy to know there is also some delicious food to be had, Italian ice cream, chocolate cake, a Chinese renowned tattooist (does not speak English) and even a reasonably priced Japanese restaurant.
For daily supplies, food, clothing, and stuff like that try one of the following. There is little in the way of western food but you may be pleasantly surprised.
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* Caters for the culturally deprived expat who wants his cornflakes.
* Tesco Supermarket which is located at the Wanda Plaza Shopping Mall.
There are markets in several locations, but you're likely only to find plastic tubs, brooms, hair products, bed sheets, clothing, etc., that's pretty much the same as what you find in the shops or just on the street at about the same prices. Make sure to bring your bargaining skills, especially being a foreigner.
* Ask a cab to drop you off at 'Wen hwa shr chang'. The actual market is a pedestrian only area behind a row of houses, but you should be able to find it by just following the crowds. On sale are all kinds of items, pottery, wooden sculptures, painting, calligraphy supplies, even old coins, notes and stamps. During the week it's usually pretty quiet, so come during weekends, when much more is on offer. This is a great place to find small souvenirs. Some of it is said to be real antique, but don't be fooled in spending top dollar. Unless you bring, or consider yourself, an expert.
When you get tired of shopping head to nearby Hero mountain for a change of scenery.
* The stretch of road on Shanda South Rd between Jiefang Rd and Shanda Rd houses several big stores catering for all your technological needs. You will even find people sitting on the side of the road selling second hand motherboards and hard drives! For some products you might get a good deal compared to your home country, for others prices are pretty much the same. Make sure to compare several dealers and then haggle to get the best price.
The latest club in town.. It's closed now (it's been closed for three years)
* A big club, mostly locals visiting. The main alternative to 1+1.
A standard, clean chain of hotels. Small rooms, but there's wifi. You must give them a ¥300 deposit.
*Free internet. Meeting facilities, ticket office and laundry service available. Chinese restaurant and room service.
*Free internet. Meeting facilities, ticket office, laundry service and chess/poker room available. Chinese restaurant and room service.
*Three star hotel from 1996. Internet available against payment. Meeting facilities, ticket office, laundry service and sauna available. Chinese restaurant, tea house and room service.
* This 130 room hotel opened its doors in 2009. It is located along a new Eastern extension of Shanda South Road. It's located just outside the city moat, so one could easily walk from here to Black Tiger Spring and the city Square, or to Daming Lake. There is wired internet in the rooms for your laptop.
Quite affordable. It particularly boasts beautiful business suites as well as conference facilities. Online booking available on the website.
4.5 star hotel
*Opened in 2011, a bit of luxury far outpacing the Crowne Plaza. Good buffet of Japanese, Chinese and Western fare. Thursday night, ladies get free drinks in the bar. High tea on the weekend.
*5 star hotel in the shopping district
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