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 Facts
Phone Code: 0531
Postal Code: 250000
Area: 8,827 Sq km (3,408.1 Sq miles)
Population: 6,814,000 (in 2010)
Nationalities: Han, Hui, Manchu, Mongolian, Hani, Chaoxian, Miao, Zhuang, Uigur, Yi, Tibetan
Neighboring Areas: Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, and Hebei Provinces
Location: part of the Bohai Economic Rim, Jinan is situated in the central-west of Shandong Province. It lies to the south of the cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Tangshan, and borders the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in the south; in the west it adjoins the plain along the Yellow River, and in the east links to Jiaodong peninsula. In the province, Jinan plays an important role in connecting the east and west; in China, it is a gateway between East China and North China.

 Physical Features: the city is located in the transitional area between low mountains and hills in central-south Shandong, and the alluvial plain in northwest Shandong. The city backs onto the Taishan Mountain in the south, and extends across the Yellow River in the north. The terrain can thus be generally divided into three parts – the northern riverside areas, the middle plains and the southern mountain and hill areas.

 History: Archaeological excavations of the Dawenkou culture and Longshan Culture have shown that Jinan was inhabited more than 4,000 years ago. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476BC), it was the territory of the Qi State. In later dynasties, Jinan Prefecture and then the Qi State were progressively set up in this area. Moving forward to the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties, it served as the political center of Shandong Province. With the opening of the Yellow River Bridge to traffic at the end of the year 1911, Jinan became the transportation hub between north and south China. The present city was officially established in July, 1929.

 Attractions: According to a popular saying about Jinan: ‘there are flowing streams by every house and willow trees by every door’. Jinan possesses 72 well-known springs, of which the most famous are Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, Five Dragon Pool and Pearl Spring. All the springs merge in the north of the city, forming the natural Daming Lake. Qianfoshan (Thousand-Buddha Mountain), a well-known Buddhist sacred land, is situated in the south, at the opposite side of the town. The two attractions add radiance and beauty to each other, forming the unique scenery of the city. Thanks to its long history, Jinan also has numerous historical and cultural sites such as the Qi State Great Wall Site, the Stone Memorial Hall at Guos' Cemetery, the Four Door Pagoda of the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618) as well as the Lingyang Temple (literally 'Temple of the Spiritual Rocks’). Other tourist attractions are the Wufengshan Scenic Area, Baimai Spring Park, Quancheng Square, Red Leaf Valley and Shandong Provincial Museum.

 Transportation
 Air: Located about 100 km (62 miles) from Mt. Taishan, Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport is connected to the Jinan-Qingdao and Beijing-Fuzhou expressways. There are daily flights from this airport to Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Zhangjiajie and other large and medium sized cities in China. There are also regular direct flights to Taipei, Taichung and Hualien.
 Train: There are three railway stations in the city at present. Jinan Railway Station is the largest. The East Railway Station is a subsidiary station of Jinan Railway Station. Trains from north to east and from east to north all stop at the East Railway Station. These include the bullet trains from Beijing to Qingdao, trains between northeast China and Shandong Peninsula and trains from Taiyuan to Qingdao. The West Railway Station is a station on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line.   


 Bus: With five expressways and four national highways, Jinan’s road transport is convenient and well-developed. The Jinan General Bus Station operates buses to all areas in Shandong Province as well as some cities of the neighboring provinces. The East Bus Station offers bus services to Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang and other cities outside Shandong Province, as well as eight cities within Shandong like Heze, Linyi, Qufu and Tai’an. In the city, in addition to the ordinary bus lines, special tourism bus routes are operated for visitors,  including Tourism Bus nos. 66, K51, K68, 88, 3 and 5.
 Taxi: Generally, the starting fare of taxis in the city ranges from CNY7-9 with an additional CNY1.5 per km after 3 km (1.9 miles). 
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Jinan was the first city in China to form its complete ‘two horizontal and three vertical’ BRT network made up of six BRT lines. The ‘two horizontal’ lines are Beiyuan Street-Gongye North Road and Jingshi Road, and the ‘three vertical’ refer to Lishan Road, Erhuan East Road and Olympic Road.

 Weather: Most visitors come to Jinan to visit its springs. Autumn (September to November) is the best time, since the water in the springs gushes after the rainy season. In autumn as well, the beauty of Red Leaf Valley, the source of the springs, is at its peak.

 Dining and Shopping
Jinan Cuisine, also named Shandong Cuisine, is famous for its fragrance, freshness and purity. Well-known dishes are Sweet and Sour Carp, Jinan Roast Duck, Fried Pork Chitterlings and Chrysanthemum Hot Pot. Soup dishes, like Bird’s Nest in Light Soup, White Fungus Soup and Fish in Milk Soup, are also popular. Representative local snacks are You Xuan, Fried Dumplings, Spring Rolls and Five-Stuffing Steamed Buns. There are four food streets in the city: Furong Street, for all sorts of local snacks; Jinan Food Street, where visitors can taste a thousand characteristic snacks throughout China; Barbecue Street, behind Baotu Spring Park; Western Food Street, on Quancheng Road.

Local specialties are E Jiao (a traditional Chinese medicine), embroidery, flour sculptures, wooden-fish stone and black pottery. These things can be found at the Daguanyuan Shopping Mall, Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Store, Jinan Department Store, Hualian Shopping Mall, and Lu Embroidery Trade City.  

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