Experience the best of Jinan

Jinan lies on the plain of the Yellow River in Shandong Province, with the Taishan mountains to the south. It is known as the City of Springs for the many natural springs that rise inside the city, the best known being Baotu Spring, which wells up in a park of pavilions, willows and carp ponds near the old centre.

Daming Lake, a short walk away, is fringed by willows and pavilions and is a favourite place for strolls and boat rides. Black Tiger Spring and Pearl Spring are among the other pools in the old city. Thousand Buddha Mountain, on the southern edge of the city, has Buddhist carvings on its slopes, and the sacred peak of Mount Tai and Confucius's hometown of Qufu are both within day-trip distance.

Jinan belongs to the Lu cuisine of Shandong, one of China's eight great culinary traditions, known for clear soups, seafood and braised dishes, and sweet-and-sour carp from the Yellow River is a classic. Hot summers and cold, dry winters bracket pleasant weeks in late spring and early autumn.