The City of Spring, Jinan, as the capital city of Shandong Province on China 's east coast, is the province's political, economic and cultural center.
　

Geography

Sitting in the western part of the center of Shandong Province, Jinan is at the juncture of the Beijing-Shanghai and Qingdao-Jinan railways. Nearby to the south is Mount Tai, officially recognized by the United Nations as part of the world's natural and cultural heritage. To the north is the Yellow River, which is called the “cradle of the Chinese nation”. With a warm-temperate continental monsoon climate and clear-cut seasonal changes, Jinan has an average annual temperature of 14C and an annual mean precipitation of 650-700mm. Thanks to its long history, Jinan has been designated by the State Council as a famous historical and cultural city. As Jinan boasts a number of natural springs amid picturesque scenery, it is known as the "City of Spring". The most famous one is called Baotu Spring known as the First Spring in China. The city tree of Jinan is the willow, and the city flower is the lotus.
　

Culture

Jinan is a famous city of history and culture. In 1986, the State Council named Jinan a "City of Famous History and Culture". Major international competitions can be held at the Shandong Sports Center. Acrobatics, Beijing opera and other forms of folk art of Jinan have won many gold cups at international competitions. Jinan is the cradle of Shandong Cuisine, which is one of the four major Chinese Cuisines. It offers a rich variety of dishes of which about 1,000 are well-known.
　

Tourism

Jinan has been an attractive tourist resort since ancient times. It has numerous scenic spots and places of historic interest and is well-known as the "City of Spring" for many gushing springs in its vicinity. Four large spring groups-Baotu, Heihu (Black Tiger), Pearl and Five-Dragon, 72 lesser springs and Daming Lake which is fed by spring water, make Jinan known as the "City of Spring". The Great Wall Ruins of Qi was built more than 100 years earlier than the Great Wall of Qin. Xiaotangshan Stone Temple built in the first century BC during the Han Dynasty is the oldest above-ground building existing in China. The Four-Gate Pagoda in Liubu built in the 7th century during the Sui Dynasty, is the oldest four-gate stone pagoda in China. Statues of the Song Dynasty left from the 11th century in Lingyan Temple are known as the best sculptures in the country. Jinan also hosts the 1,000-Buddha Hill and 10,000-Bamboo Garden. All this attracts large numbers of tourists from other places in China and abroad. Jinan, its neighboring Mt.Tai and Qufu (Birthplace of Confucius) form a unique tourist route. Special trips are also organized for enjoying local customs, cooking and culture.