Jinan - the City of Springs
Jinan, formerly romanized as Tsinan, is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilization and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub. The city has held sub-provincial administrative status since 1994. Jinan is often called the "Spring City" for its famous 72 artesian springs. Its population was 6.8 million at the 2010 census.
Jinan is located in the north-western part of Shandong province at 36°40′ northern latitude and 116° 57′ east of Greenwich, about 400 kilometers (250 mi) south of the national capital of Beijing.
Jinan has a humid subtropical climate, considering a normal isotherm of −3 °C, or a humid continental climate, considering an isotherm of 0 °C but favoring the former, with four well-defined seasons. The city is dry and rainless in spring, hot and rainy in summer, crisp in autumn and dry and cold (with little snow) in winter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinan
There are many springs in Jinan because of its topographic structure. The southern area is mountainous while the northern part is plain. Mountains in Jinan is formed by limestone while the underground of plains has magmatic rocks. The caves in limestone has the capability of transporting groundwater that flows in limestone layers that became the origin of springs in Jinan.
There are many springs in Jinan because of its topographic structure. The southern area is mountainous while the northern part is plain. Mountains in Jinan is formed by limestone while the underground of plains has magmatic rocks. The caves in limestone has the capability of transporting groundwater that flows in limestone layers that became the origin of springs in Jinan.
How did I get to Jinan? Well, thank you so much to my work for giving me privileges not just to experience working with a prestigious company but to experience going to other country for free as well, with some agreements of course (wink!)
I was also so lucky to be here in Jinan in a chilly weather because my co-worker was here on a summer and the weather is so humid. I enjoyed walking from one place to another wearing my comfy jackets.
We are fortunate to have 2 free days (with 10 working days) to roam around so we searched for the places we can go to, and here are some sights and wonders that we explored...
The top ten places to go in Jinan:
1. Daming Lake Park
Daming Lake is a must see place in Jinan. It is the largest lake in the city. One of the landmarks of Jinan together with Quianfoshan (Thousand Buddha Mountain) and Baotu Spring. The park itself covers an area of 86 hectares and half of it is the water area. Sizeable lake in the heart of the city!
We were there on a holiday (a seven day holiday that they call "National Day") and there are a lot of people enjoying the stroll around the lake. Not just in this lake but everywhere. Hotels are full and also the tourist spots in Jinan.
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| with Sir Manny, our tour guide-Mr. Chang and Sir Edgie |
The scenery is beautiful. There were lots of willow trees around the area and lotus ponds inside the lake. I am not only impressed by the natural views but also of its cultural buildings and relics too.
We took a short boat ride going to the little island where there are temples and pagodas, I remembered it was RMB 10. There are many places where you can take photos.
You can also take pictures in a traditional wardrobe with a rental fee of RMB50.
My colleagues was exhaustively strolling for about two hours in this huge park but still we continue walking for the place is so scenic. There are many places to explore. People you bump in here are mostly strolling, jogging and doing some picnic but the place is very clean. Some old people are also enjoying their time by doing some exercise and tai chi too.
We passed by with a lot of pavilions, temples, bridges, gardens and historical structures.
2. Baotu Spring Park
We were not able to go to Baotu Spring park but is is located at the west of Quancheng Square. The Baotu Spring (Jet Spring or Spurting Spring) is a culturally significant artesian karst spring. It is mentioned in the Spring and Autumn Annals, one of the Five Classics of Chinese literature, and was declared the "Number One Spring under the Heaven" by the Qianlong Emperor in the Qing Dynasty.
3. Thousand Buddha Mountain
Buddhism became popular in the Jinan area during the reign of Emperor Wen, the founder of the Sui Dynasty. With Buddhism, monks came to area and chiseled Buddha statues out of the flanks of the hill, which was originally called Miji Hill or Li Hill. A temple, called the Thousand Buddha Temple
(Qianfosi) was founded at the foot of the hill. Eventually, the hill
was renamed after the temple into "Thousand Buddha Mountain". One of the
old names, Li Hill (Li Shan), survives in the name of Lishan Road, the major avenue which runs through Jinan towards the Thousand Buddha Mountain in north-south direction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Buddha_Mountain
How to get to Thousand Buddha Mountain?
Bus routes to K56, K51, 48, 31 and 2 will take you to here.
Entrance fee is RMB30. Operating Hours is from 6am to 6pm
There are around 130 buddha statues and four (4) caves to explore in the area. There are a lot of temples and halls too.
How to get to Thousand Buddha Mountain?
Bus routes to K56, K51, 48, 31 and 2 will take you to here.
Entrance fee is RMB30. Operating Hours is from 6am to 6pm
There are around 130 buddha statues and four (4) caves to explore in the area. There are a lot of temples and halls too.
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| photo owned by Mc Deo Jusayan |
There are two paths leading further to the top. We continued going upstairs because we thought that the biggest statue of Buddha was on top only to find out that temples and more temples are built on top of the Thousand Buddha Mountain. We did not regret pushing ourselves to the top because the structures here are so astounding and astonishing. We respect the Chinese doing their prayers to the statues here.
After the trip to the top, we are still searching for the biggest Buddha structure and our friend, Sir Manny said that he will just wait for us downstairs. But Mc Deo pushes him to still walk though exhausted because we will only be here once and we have to make the most of it. After some asking on where the biggest Buddha is, we are relieved that we finally get to the location only to find out that the location is just near the entrance of the park =)
4. Heihu Spring (Black Tiger Spring)
We only have limited time, we can only go to one spring in Jinan. Heihu Spring is located in the heart of the city and is located just opposite the Liberation Pavilion.
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| Liberation Pavilion |
There is no entrance fee in visiting Heihu Spring unlike in other famous spring parks. But if want to ride around the lake, there is a fee in riding a boat. You can see the locals collect their bucket of spring water from the fountain. Aside from the stunning views around the park, there are also a lot of willow trees that is so good and calming to stare at.
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| willow trees around |
After a stroll at Heihu, there is a famous street called Ancient Furong Street selling Chinese street foods. There are also old structures and houses with great architecture.
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| old streets of Jinan |
Ancient Furong Street
The Furong or Water Lily Street is a historical business street located in the central area of the old city of Jinan, Shandong, China. With a history that can be traced back for more than 2000 years, the street formerly served as the administrative, financial, commercial, and cultural center of the city.
Furong Street runs through the historical center of Jinan in the
north-south direction. To the north, it ends at the Fuxue Confucian
Temple and to the south at Quancheng Street, a modern shopping area. The
street has a total length of 432 meters and is on average 4.6 meters
wide.
As the street has a long creek with clear water, it became a
gathering place for business people and several wealthy residences were
constructed in the surrounding area.Together with the nearby Qushuiting Street (to the north), Furong Street formed the most prosperous area in historical Jinan.
5. Lingyan Temple
Lingyan Temple (temple of the Spiritual Rocks) is a Buddhist temple located in Changqing District, Jinan, Shandong Province, China, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city of Tai an. The The temple grounds are situated in a valley on the western edge of the Taishan range. The Lingyan Temple has a long recorded history,
and was one of the main temples in China during the times of the Tang
and Song Dynasties. Its most renowned landmarks are the 11th century Pizhi Pagoda and the Thousand Buddha Hall which houses a Ming dynasty bronze Buddha statue as well as 40 painted clay statues of life-size luohan from the Song dynasty.
6. Shandong Provincial Museum
The Shandong Museum is the principal museum of Shandong Province. It is located in the City of Jinan, Shandong, China. It is one of the largest museums in the country.
The Shandong Museum occupies a building with 82,900 square meters of space
and houses a collection of more than 210 000 historical artifacts.
Highlights of the historical collection include relics from the neolithic Dawenkou and Longshan cultures, bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, stone carvings from the Han Dynasty, and paintings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The natural history section features fossils from Shanwang and a fossil skeleton of Shangtungosaurus.
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| in front of the Shandong Museum |
When touring Shandong Province, don't ever miss to visit this outstanding museum. It offers a substantial look of the ancient Chinese. There is no entrance fee here, all you have to do is to be at this place and to show one identification card or passport. One day isn't enough to understand and to visual one by one each exhibit and gallery. Though most of the exhibits are in Chinese, you will still appreciate them because they are well presented and displayed. Definitely impressive!
The museum is a journey of Shandong from the ancient dynasties up to the present. It has an impressive collection of archaic artifacts from various periods. It houses plenty of ceramics, potteries, weapons, royalties' clothings, calligraphies, tablets and pre-historic pieces.
The last part of the museum houses an African Savanah donated by Ken Behring.
We weren't able to visit the last 4 places stated below as the top places to visit in Jinan because of time constraints. If we were lucky enough to come back in Jinan, definitely we will tour the places:
7. Five-Dragon Pool
8. Four Gates Pagoda
9. Hong Ye Valley
10. Quancheng Square
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| a souvenir shop near the Liberal Pavilion |
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| a typical day in Jinan |
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| rush hour in Jinan (so amazed of their engineered highways) |
We were so blessed to be chosen by our company to witness the factory acceptance test of our equipment to be used in the Philippines. I am so thankful and grateful for the experience.
Thank you to our guide who later on became our friend, Mr. Chang - for accompanying us throughout our 12-days stay in China. Thank You also to Sir Edgie for being with us during our stay here. And thank you to my colleagues, Sir Manny and Mac for being my photographer (he he!) and companion. Most photos are owned by Mac Deo - such an artistic photographer!
And most of all, Thank You Lord for this opportunity and keeping us safe all the time! You are truly GREAT!
