Jinan

Jinan
For other uses, see Jinan (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 36°40′N 116°59′E / 36.667°N 116.983°E / 36.667; 116.983

Jinan
济南
—  Sub-provincial city  —
济南市
Clockwise from top: Jinan's Skyline, Quancheng Square, Daming Lake, Furong Street, and Five Dragon Pool
Location of Jinan City within Shandong
Jinan is located in China
Jinan
Location in China
Coordinates: 36°40′N 116°59′E / 36.667°N 116.983°E / 36.667; 116.983
Country People's Republic of China
Province Shandong
County-level divisions 10
Township divisions 146
Government
 – Mayor Zhang Jianguo (张建国)
Area
 – Sub-provincial city 8,177 km2 (3,157.2 sq mi)
 – Metro 3,257 km2 (1,257.5 sq mi)
Elevation(Airport) 23 m (75 ft)
Population (2010 census provisional)
 – Sub-provincial city 6,814,000
 – Density 833.3/km2 (2,158.3/sq mi)
 – Metro 3,245,000
 – Metro density 996.3/km2 (2,580.4/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code 250000
Area code(s) 531
License plate prefixes 鲁A
GDP (2009) CNY 335.1 billion
 - per capita CNY 49391
Website www.jinan.gov.cn (Chinese)
City tree: Chinese Willow; City flower: Lotus
Jinan or Ji'nan
Traditional Chinese 濟南
Simplified Chinese 济南
Literal meaning south of the Ji (Waters)

Jinan (Chinese: 济南; pinyin: Jǐnán; Mandarin pronunciation: [t͡ɕi˧˩nan˧˥];) 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 civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub. The city, which holds sub-provincial administrative status, is located in north-western Shandong about 400 kilometres (250 mi) south of the national capital of Beijing, it borders Liaocheng to the southwest, Dezhou to the northwest, Binzhou to the northeast, Zibo to the east, Laiwu to the southeast, and Tai'an to the south.

Contents

Names

The modern-day name "Jinan" literally means "south of the Ji (Waters)" and refers to the old Ji River that had flowed to the north of the city until the middle of the 19th century. The Ji River disappeared in 1852[1] when the Yellow River changed its course northwards and took over its bed. The current pronunciation of the character "Ji" with the third tone ("jǐ") was established in the late 1970s. Prior to this, it was pronounced with the fourth tone ("jì"). Older texts spell the name as "Tsinan" (Wade-Giles romanizaton) or "Chi-nan". During the times of the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC to 256 BC), the city of Lìxià (历下/歷下) was the major settlement in the area. The name "Lixia" refers to the location of Jinan at the foot of Mount Li, which lies to the south of the city). Today, Lixia is the name of one of the city's districts. The Battle of An, which was fought in the area during the Spring and Autumn Period (in 589 BCE) between the states of Qi and Jin, is named for the ancient city of Ān (鞍) which stood within the city limits of present-day Jinan. Marco Polo gives a brief description of Jinan under the name "Chingli"[2] or "Chinangli".[3] 19th and early 20th century texts frequently give the name of the city as "Tsinan Fu" where the additional "Fu" (府) comes from the dated Chinese term for a provincial capital (省府). Jinan is also referred to by the nickname "City of Springs" (泉城), because of the many artesian springs in the urban city centre and its surroundings.

Administrative divisions

The sub-provincial city of Jinan (济南市/濟南市; pinyin: Jǐnán Shì) has direct jurisdiction over 6 districts (区/區; qū), 1 county-level city (市; pinyin: shì), and 3 counties (县/縣; pinyin: xiàn):

Map Subdivision Hanzi Pinyin Population
Subdivisions of Jinan-China.png
Jinan City Proper
■ Lixia District 历下区 LìxiàQū 583,500
■ Shizhong District 市中区 ShìzhōngQū 570,000
■ Huaiyin District 槐荫区 HuáiyìnQū 370,000
■ Tianqiao District 天桥区 TiānqiáoQū 485,773
Jinan Suburban and Rural
■ Licheng District 历城区 LìchéngQū 849,900
■ Changqing District 长清区 ChángqīngQū 530,000
■ Zhangqiu City 章丘市 ZhāngqiūShì 1,004,000
■ Pingyin County 平阴县 PíngyīnXiàn 360,000
■ Jiyang County 济阳县 JǐyángXiàn 520,095
■ Shanghe County 商河县 ShānghéXiàn 579,928

These are further divided into 146 township-level divisions, including 65 towns, 27 townships and 54 subdistricts.

Geography and climate

Jinan
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
5.7
 
4
−4
 
 
8.5
 
7
−2
 
 
15
 
13
4
 
 
27
 
22
11
 
 
47
 
27
17
 
 
78
 
32
22
 
 
201
 
32
24
 
 
170
 
31
23
 
 
59
 
27
18
 
 
37
 
21
12
 
 
16
 
13
5
 
 
8.2
 
6
−2
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: CMA [4]

Geography

Jinan is located in the north-western part of Shandong province at 36° 40′ northern latitude and 116° 57′ east of Greenwich. In the relief of the region, the city occupies a transition zone between the northern foothills of the Taishan Massif to the south of the city and the valley of the Yellow River to the north. Karst aquifers in limestone formations sloping down from the south to the north give rise to many artesian springs in the city center as well as in surrounding areas.

Climate

Jinan lies between a humid subtropical and humid continental climate (Köppen Cwa/Dwa) with four well-defined seasons. The city is dry and nearly rainless in spring, hot and rainy in summer, crisp in autumn and dry and cold in winter. The average annual temperature is 14.6 °C (58.3 °F), and the annual precipitation is around slightly above 670 millimetres (26.4 in), with a strong summer maximum, and higher variability from year to year. January is the coldest and driest month, with a mean temperature of −0.4 °C (31.3 °F) and 5.7 millimetres (0.22 in) of equivalent rainfall; snow occasionally falls but rarely in heavy bouts. July is the warmest and wettest month, the corresponding numbers are 27.5 °C (81.5 °F), and 201.3 mm (7.93 in).

Due to the mountains to the south of the city, temperature Inversions are common occurrences, occurring on about 200 days per year.[5]

History

The area of present-day Jinan has been inhabited for more than 4000 years. The Neolithic Longshan Culture was first discovered at the Chéngzǐyá (城子崖) site to the east of Jinan (Zhangqiu City) in 1928. One of the characteristic features of the Longshan Culture are the intricate wheel-made pottery pieces it produced. Most renown is the black "egg-shell pottery" with wall thicknesses that can go below 1 millimeter.[6]

Great Wall of Qi in Changqing, Jinan
Jade mask recovered from the Han Dynasty tombs on Shuangru Mountain (双乳山汉墓), Jinan
Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains, (鹊华秋色) left half

During the Spring and Autumn Period (722 – 481 BCE) and Warring States Period (475–221 BCE), the area of Jinan was split between two states – the state of Lu in the west and the state of Qi in the east. In 685 BCE, the state of Qi started to build the Great Wall of Qi (齐长城) across Changqing county. Portions of the wall still remain today and are accessible as open air museums. Biǎn Què (扁鹊), according to the legend the earliest Chinese physician and active around 500 BCE, is said to have been a native of present-day Changqing County. Zou Yan (邹衍; pinyin: Zōu Yǎn, 305 – 240 BCE), a native of Zhangqiu City, developed the concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements (阴阳五行说).

During the times of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), Jinan was the capital of the Kingdom of Jibei (济北国/濟北國; pinyin: Jǐbĕi Guó) and evolved into the cultural and economic hub of the region. The Han Dynasty tomb where the last king of Jibei, Liú Kuān (刘宽/劉寬), was buried at Shuangru Mountain was excavated by archaeologists from Shandong University in 1995 and 1996. More than 2000 artifacts such as jade swords, jade masks, jade pillows have been recovered within the 1,500 square meter excavation site, emphasizing the wealth of the city during the period. Cáo Cāo (曹操, 155 – 220 CE) was an official in Jinan before he became the de facto ruler of the Han Dynasty. His son overthrew the last emperor of the Han and founded the Wei Kingdom (220 – 265 CE) of the Three Kingdoms Period.

Beginning in the 5th century CE, Buddhism flourished in Jinan. The Langgong Temple (朗公寺; pinyin: Lǎnggōng Sì, later renamed Shentong Temple, (神通寺; pinyin: Shéntōng Sì, and now in ruins) in the southern county of Licheng was one of the most important temples in northern China at that time. The same period witnessed extensive construction of Buddhist sites in the southern counties of Licheng and Changqing such as the Lingyan Temple (灵岩寺) and the Thousand-Buddha Cliff (千佛崖). In particular, a large number of cave temples were established in the hills south of Jinan.[2]

Jinan remained the cultural center of the region during the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 CE). The Song rulers promoted Jinan to a superior prefecture in 1116 CE. Two of the most important poets of the Southern Song were both born in Jinan: Li Qingzhao (李清照, 1084 – 1151 CE), the most renown female poet in Chinese history, and Xin Qiji (辛弃疾, 1140 – 1207 CE), who was also a military leader of the Southern Song Dynasty. Both poets witnessed a series of crushing defeats of the Song Dynasty at the hands of the Jurchens who gained control over almost half of the Song territories and established the Jin Dynasty in northern China. After Jinan came under control of the Jin Dynasty, both Li Qingzhao and Xin Qiji had to abandon their homes and reflected this experience in their works.

During the Civil War that followed the proclamation of Kublai Khan as Great Khan in 1260 CE, Jinan was at the center of a rebellion by Yizhou governor Li Tan against Mongol rule in 1262 CE. The rebellion was crushed in a decisive battle that was fought not far from Jinan in late March or early April of 1262 CE. After losing 4000 of his troops in the battle, Li Tan retreated to Jinan to make his last stand. After defections of his defenders had made his position untenable, Li Tan tried to commit suicide by drowning himself in Daming Lake. However, he was rescued by the Mongols in order to execute him by trampling him to death with their horses.[7]

Despite such violent conflicts, culture in Jinan continued to thrive during the Jin (1115–1234 CE) and Yuan (1271–1368 CE) Dynasties: One of the most renowned artists of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Mengfu (赵孟頫, 1254 -1322 CE) was appointed to the post of governor of Jinan in 1293 CE and spent three years in the city. Among the extraordinary art works he completed during his stay in Jinan, the best known painting is "Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains" (《鹊华秋色》). Geographer Yú Qīn (于钦/于欽, 1284 – 1333 CE) also served as an official in Jinan and authored his geography book Qí Chéng (齐乘) there.

When Shandong Province was established under the Ming Dynasty, Jinan became its capital.[2]

In 1852, the northward shift of the Yellow River into a new bed close to the city triggered the modern expansion of Jinan. The new course of the Yellow River connected the city to the Grand Canal and regional waterways in northern Shandong and southern Hebei.[2]

German influence in Jinan grew after the Qing Dynasty ceded Qingdao to the German Empire in 1897. A German concession area was established to the west of the historical city center (in the vicinity of the Jinan Railway Station first established by the Germans). The Jiaoji (Qingdao-Jinan) railway was built by the Germans against local resistance. Discontent over the construction of the railway was one of the sources fueling the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901).[8] During the rebellion, foreign priests were evacuated from Jinan and Chinese Christians became a target of violence. The Jiaoji railway was completed in 1904, three years after the Boxer Rebellion had been put down, and opened the city to foreign trade.[2] The importance of Jinan as a transportation hub was cemented with the completion of the north-south Jinpu railway from Tianjin to Pukou in 1912.[2] Jinan became a major trading center for agricultural goods in northern China. Traded commodities included cotton, grain, peanuts, and tobacco.[2] Jinan also developed into a major industrial center, second in importance to Qingdao in the province.

In 1919, after the First World War, the Japanese took over the German sphere of influence in Shandong, including control of the Jiaoji railway, and established a significant Japanese colony in Jinan.[2] According to estimates by a contemporary Japanese government official, about 2,000 Japanese were living in Jinan in 1931, about half of which were involved in the opium trade for which the Japanese had a loosely controlled monopoly that was exploited with the participation of Chinese traders.[9]

During the Warlord era of the Republic of China, Zhang Zongchang, nicknamed the "Dogmeat General", ruled Shandong from Jinan for a period that lasted from April 1925 until May 1928. Zhang was unpopular for his heavy-handed rule and in particular his heavy taxation.[10] Besides heavy taxes, he relied financially on opium to finance his periodic wars.[9] Zhang even planned to use some of the wealth extracted from these sources for building a living shrine and a large bronze statue for himself on the shore of Daming Lake, but these plans were not realized as his rule came to an end.

In the spring of 1928, the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition reached Jinan. On May 3, 1928, clashes developed between Japanese troops stationed in Jinan and the Kuomintang troops moving into the city (Jinan Incident). Cai Gongshi, a Kuomintang emissary sent to negotiate and members of his entourage were executed by the Japanese. In response to the incident, Japanese reinforcements were sent to Shandong and Japanese troops occupied Jinan for more than six months until they withdrew to their garrison in Tsingtao on the 28th of March 1929. During the Nanjing decade of the Republic of China, Han Fuju, a military commander form the warlord era who had aligned himself with the Kuomintang, became military governor of Shandong. He established his base in Jinan and is credited with curtailing banditry and drug trading, thereby bringing a measure of peace and prosperity to the city. However, from 1935 onwards Han was under heavy pressure from the Japanese consul in Jinan to declare Shandong an "independent state" allied with Japan.

After the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese invasion force crossed the Yellow River 60 kilometers north-east of Jinan on December 23, 1937.[11] Han Fuju abandoned Jinan on the next day against orders to hold the city to the death.[11] He ordered the offices of the provincial government and the Japanese consulate in Jinan to be burned down[11] and the ensuing power vacuum led to widespread looting in the city.[11] Japanese troops from the 10th Division of the Manchurian Area Army[12] entered Jinan on December 27, 1937.[11]

Monument commemorating the war dead of the battle of Jinan on Hero Hill

Japanese troops controlled Jinan until their defeat in 1945. After this, the Kuomintang regained a short-lived control of the city during the period from 1946 to 1948. The provincial government during this time was led by Lieutenant-General Wang Yaowu, who also commanded the KMT army in the region. KMT rule over Jinan ended in September 1948 with the Battle of Jinan in which units of the People's Liberation Army under the command of Chen Yi took the city. The battle for Jinan took a decisive turn in favor of the attackers when KMT Lieutenant-General Wú Huàwén (吴化文) defected to the Communist side with about 8,000 of his troops.[13] The most likely explanation for his defection is that he had been pressured through relatives of his who were held captive by the Communist forces.[13] Lieutenant-General Wu had been in charge of the vital outer ring of defenses that protected the main airfield, the railroad station, and the commercial district.[13] With these critical assets lost, the situation of the city's defenders became untenable. Following the weakening of the city's defenses, the People's Liberation Army breached the city wall and entered Jinan on September 24, 1948.

In March 1966, the largest among the drawn-out sequence of earthquakes that made up the Xingtai Earthquake damaged about 36,000 houses in Jinan.[14]

Furong（Hibiscus mutabilis） Street， a famous shopping street in Jinan

On May 27, 1966, the Cultural Revolution started in Jinan with an article in the local newspaper "Jinan Evening News" (济南晚报) that denounced vice-governor Yu Xiu as a Bourgeois agent within the government.[14] Starting from early June 1966, the schools in Jinan were closed down by strikes as teachers were "struggled against". At the same time, big-character posters started to appear in the city.[14] Red Guards took to the streets of Jinan from late August 1966 onwards, damaging cultural heritage and setting up courts to prosecute perceived enemies of the revolution. In the spring of 1967, the "May 7th Incident" took place: When Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan, both later reviled as members of the Gang of Four, visited Jinan to support the Cultural Revolution and its local leader Wang Xiao Yu, fighting erupted in the front of the provincial government between two rival factions of the Cultural Revolution, the "April 22nd Group" and Wang Xiao Yu's "April 28th Group". In the end, more than 10,000 people had been involved in the fighting.[15] On October 11, 1967, the tallest statue of Mao Zedong in Shandong province was erected on the campus of Shandong Normal University.[16] On September 17, 1968, a large assembly of Jinan workers celebrated the arrival of a mango fruit in the "August 1st" Meeting Hall. The fruit had been a gift to the workers in Beijing by Mao and was subsequently passed on to the workers in Jinan. In November 1968, Wang Xiao Yu began to agitate against the local army units in Jinan and Shandong Province. By then unrest due to the Cultural Revolution had severely damaged the city's governmental and industrial infrastructure, with about 80% of all government institutions shut down.[17] Large public protests were staged on April 4 and 5, 1969, in which approximately 500,000 people protested the occupation of Zhenbao Island by the Soviet Union.[18] On July 29, 1970, the leadership of the Cultural Revolution passed a resolution to make sweeping changes to the city's educational system: The liberal arts departments of Shandong University were moved to Qufu and combined with Qufu Normal College to form a new Shandong University. The biology department was moved to Tai'an and merged into the Shandong Agricultural College. The rest of the sciences were to form the Shandong Science and Technology University. Shandong Normal University was to be moved to Liaocheng. Shandong Medical College and Shandong College of Traditional Chinese Medicine were to be merged and moved to Tai'an.[19] Shandong University was restored in its original form and the "Shandong Science and Technology University" was abolished in early 1974.[20] The first reversals of Cultural Revolution policies started in early 1971: On May 23 of that year, the Shandong Provincial Museum was reopened after having been closed for about 5 years (since May 1966).[21] In the next year, the Jinan Committee for the Cultural Revolution officially reverted the name changes of four city districts enacted in 1966. During the 6 years between the name change and its reversal, Lixia District had been known officially as "Hongwei", Tianqiao as "Face the Sun", Huaiyin as "East Wind", and Shizhong as "Red Flag".[22] As the Cultural Revolution came to an end, Jinan started to receive visitors from abroad. For example, it was visited by a delegation from the United States Congress between August 8 and 11, 1975.[23] On September 18, 1976, Mao's death was mourned by about 600,000 people at an official service in Jinan's August 1 Square.[24]

Jinan was the host of the 11th All China Games during the month of October, 2009. These games are the selection games for the Chinese Olympic champions. For this occasion, security was heightened and a full volunteer force was out on the streets directing visitor traffic. The city conducted major renovations in its transportation and recreation services in anticipation of the Games visitors.[25]

Demographics

A mosque in Jinan

In 2005, the estimated population of the entire area under the jurisdiction of Jinan City was 5.69 million, with a total of 2.54 million living in urban areas. By 2009, the total population had grown to about six million. The census in 2010 counted 6.81 million inhabitants out of which about 3.25 million were living in urban areas.

The population is predominantly Han (98.3%), with very small portions of Hui and Manchu Chinese. Jinan has a significant Muslim community centred in the city's Muslim quarter, located to the west of the historical center.

Language and culture

Local residents in the city proper, as well as in the surrounding areas, have traditionally spoken the Jinan dialect of Mandarin that is not readily understood even by native speakers of standard Mandarin. The younger people of Jinan are more likely to speak standard Mandarin, whereas many older residents retain strong local dialect elements in their speech. Nevertheless, even the younger residents of Jinan tend to retain a strong local accent and mix local vocabulary into the standardized Mandarin vocabulary. Due to the influx of migrant workers during the past decade of China's economic boom, many of the current population that are of working age are not natives of Jinan but have learned to understand the Jinan dialect.

Jinan has its own cuisine, the Jinan style of the Lu cuisine (鲁菜/魯菜; pinyin: Lǔcài), one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China.

Economy

Skyline seen from the Thousand Buddha Mountain

With the shift of the Yellow River to a new bed right to the north of Jinan (in 1852) and the establishment of a railroad hub, the city became a major market for agricultural products from the productive farming regions to the north.[2] Following the trade in agricultural goods, the city developed a textile and clothing industry, flour mills, oil presses, as well as factories producing paper, cement, and matches.[2] In the 1950s, large iron and steel works as well as chemical factories were established around Jinan. The large metal works produce pig iron, ingot steel, as well as finished steel.[2] In 2008, steel manufacturing was restructured with the formation of the Shandong Iron and Steel Group.[citation needed] In the 1970s, factories for the production of trucks and construction vehicles (Sinotruk) were added.

Jinan has a pool of high-quality labor resources. There are 18 universities and colleges in the city where more than 200,000 students are studying. Among the 200+ research institutes in the city, 10 are national laboratories.

The focus on technology intensive industries has transformed Jinan from a city supported by heavy industry and textiles to a city with more diverse industrial structure. Information Technology, transportation tools, home appliances, and bio-engineered products, among others, have become important components of the area's industry. Jinan's IT-related economic output was ranked to be in the fourth place nationally in 2004[citation needed].

Industrial zones include:

  • Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone

Founded in 1991, the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development zone was one of the first of its kind approved by the State Council. The zone is located to the east of the city and covers a total planning area of 83 square kilometers that is divided into a central area covering 33 square kilometers, an export processing district of 10 square kilometers, and an eastern extension area of 40 square kilometers. Since its foundation, the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone has attracted enterprises as LG, Panasonic, Volvo, and Sanyo. In 2000, it joined the world science and technology association and set up a China-Ukraine High-tech Cooperation Park. The Qilu Software Park became the sister park of Bangalore park of India.[26]

  • Jinan Export Processing Zone

The export processing zone is located in the eastern suburbs of Jinan, to the east of the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone and to the north of the Jiwang highway. The distances to the Jiqing Highway and the Jinan Airport are 9 and 18 km respectively.[27]

  • Liaocheng Economic Development Zone

The China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (Sinotruk) has its headquarters in the city.[28]

Transportation

Highway Bridge across the Yellow River

Railways

Jinan is positioned at the intersection of two major railways: The Jinghu Railway that runs from Beijing to Shanghai is the major north-south backbone of the railway system in eastern China. In Jinan, it intersects with the Jiaoji Railway that connects Jinan to the sea port of Qingdao to the east. In addition, the Hanji Railway connects Jinan to the city of Handan (Hebei Province) in the west. Within Shandong province, the Jinghu Railway connects Jinan with the cities of Dezhou, Tai'an, Jining, and Zaozhuang; the Jiaoji Railway provides a link to the cities of Zibo, Qingdao, and Weifang; the Hanji Railway serves the cities of Yancheng and Liaocheng.

Expressways

Major expressways include China National Highway 104, China National Highway 220, and China National Highway 309. Because of Jinan's location and role as a road and rail transportation hub, the Jinan Coach Terminus has one of the largest passenger flows in China. On peak travel days, as many as 92,000 passengers per day have been counted, on off-peak days the number is around 42,000 passengers per day.[29]

Airport

Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport is located about 33 kilometers northeast of the city center and to the north of the town of Yaoqiang (遥墙镇) from which the name of the airport is derived. The airport is connected to the city of center of Jinan by expressways. It has domestic flights to many of the major cities in China as well as to international destinations, in particular Seoul and Singapore.

Attractions

Main article: List of sites in Jinan
Pavilion in the 10,000 Bamboo Garden of Baotu Spring Park
Five Dragon Pool
Four Gates Pagoda
Quancheng Square at Night
The Thousand Buddha Mountain, a religious landmark in Jinan
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Jinan

Jinan is renowned across China for its numerous springs, the lakes fed by the spring water, and the weeping willows that grow along the water edges. The late-Qing author Liu E describes Jinan's cityscape in his novel "The Travels of Lao Can" (老残游记, written 1903–04, published in 1907) as "Every family has spring water, every household has a willow tree".[30] Jinan was also the historical center of Buddhist culture for the whole province which is still manifest in the many historic sites that are left behind in its southern counties.

Springs and lakes

Jinan is known as the "City of Springs" because of the large number of natural artesian springs. The majority of the springs, many of which have been historically listed under the "72 Famous Springs" (七十二名泉) are concentrated in the downtown district and flow north to converge in Daming Lake. The Baotu Spring Park is the most popular of the springs in the City of Jinan proper. Besides the Baotu Spring, the park contains several other springs that are listed among the "72 Famous Springs". "Bào tū" (趵突) means "jumping and leaping" in Chinese. The water in the spring pool can be seen foaming and gushing, looking like a pot of boiling water. The spring was visited by the Emperor Qian Long (1711–1799) of the Qing Dynasty who declared it "the first spring under the heaven" (Chinese: 天下第一泉; pinyin: tiān xià dì yī quán). A tablet with the Emperor's handwriting "Baotu Spring" has since been erected beside the spring pool.

Not far away to the northeast of Baotu Spring Park is the Daming Lake, which, together with Baotu Spring and the Thousand-Buddha Mountain (千佛山) is often regarded as the "Three Greatest Attractions in Jinan". Other notable parks in the city include the Five Dragon Pool (五龙潭) near the Baotu Spring Park, the Black Tiger Spring (黑虎泉) on the southern city moat, and the Baimai Springs (百脉泉) of Zhangqiu City to the east of Jinan.

Buddhist sites

Historic Buddhist sites are particularly common in Licheng County to the south-east of the city center of Jinan. The Four Gates Pagoda (四门塔), built in 661, is the oldest existing one-story stone tower in China. The pagoda houses four Buddhist statues dating from the 6th century, and the Cypress tree (九顶松) standing next to the pagoda is more than 1000 years old. Below the hill on which pagoda stands lie the remnants of the Shentong Temple (神通寺), which was founded in the 4th century but was destroyed in the wars of later dynasties. The funerary stelae of monks from the temple which date from different historic periods display remarkable artistic features. The statues in the nearby Thousand-Buddha Cliff (千佛崖) form one of the best collections of Tang Dynasty Buddhist statues in the region.

The Lingyan Temple in the southern county of Changqing was one of the four most famous temples (四大名刹) of the Tang Dynasty. The temple was founded during the Jin Dynasty and reached its heyday during the Tang and Song Dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty, the famous monk Xuan Zang stayed in the temple and translated Buddhist manuscripts he had brought to China from India. Many emperors in Chinese history visited the temple before they went to Mount Tai (one of China's five sacred mountains, located south of Jinan) for ceremonies. The clay sculptures of Buddhas made in the Song Dynasty are considered as "The Best of China" by the great scholar and journalist Liang Qichao (1873–1929). Buddhist architectures within the temple such as pagodas and tomb stelae are among the earliest and best protected in the region.

Museums and libraries

The Shandong Provincial Museum located at the foothill of Thousand-Buddha Mountain is the largest museum in the province. It has a large collection of natural as well as historical treasures from the whole province. The museum was established in its present form in 1982 and currently has 8 exhibition halls : "Treasures of Shandong Province"; "Stone Sculptures"; "Warship of the Ming Dynasty"; "Ancient Coins"; "Art Treasures"; "Fossil Collections"; "Dinosaurs"; and "Specimens". The museum has more than 210,000 relics and specimens, making up 1/3 of the collections in museums of whole province. The Shandong Provincial Museum has been ranked No. 7 in terms of collection size among the museums of China.

The Jinan Municipal Museum is located at the south-western foot of the Thousand-Buddha Mountain, in the north of the city center. Although much smaller than the provincial museum, the municipal museum still houses a collection of more than 20,000 items, most of which were recovered in the city area.

The Shandong Provincial Library in the eastern High-tech Park (address: 2912 Second Ring East Road) is the principal library of the province and is ranked among the Top 10 Chinese libraries. As of 2004, the library had more than 5.18 million documents, many of which date back many centuries and are important sources for research on Chinese history. The library also has a large collection of western journals/books. Originally, the library was built close to Daming Lake in 1909 by the then governor of Shandong. In the late 1990s, a project was undertaken to move the library to the eastern part of the city, and it reopened in 2002 with 35 reading rooms and more than 2000 seats.

Shopping centers

Most shopping malls in Jinan are in the downtown area centered around Spring City Square (泉城广场) and Spring City Road (泉城路). Spring City Square was built by the municipal government beside the city moat in the early 21st century; at the center is the statue "Spring" which has become a symbol of Jinan. The square borders on the ancient city moat. It has a music fountain, a 46,000 square meter underground shopping center and a memorial hall with statues of famous people from Shandong.

Spring City Road was rebuilt at the same time that Spring City Square was created. The government's intention was to create a modern business district and yet preserve the traditional Chinese culture. Therefore newly-built shopping malls with traditional Chinese architectural styles and modern western skyscrapers can be found side-by-side along Spring City Road. Notable retail businesses are Quancheng Bookstore – the largest bookstore of the city – and Walmart (near the western end of Spring City Road). Major shopping malls along the road are the Guihe Shopping Center (贵和商厦), the Sofitel Silver Plaza, and the Wanda Shopping Mall (万达集团). Parc 66 (济南恒隆广场) to the south of Spring City Road (opposite of Water Lily Street), opened in August 2011, is Jinan's largest shopping mall with seven levels of retail space and a total gross floor area of 171,000 square meters.[31]

Education

Universities and colleges

Provincial high schools

International schools

Health

Hospitals

Defense

Jinan is the command center for the Jinan Military Region, one of seven military regions into which the People's Liberation Army is organized.[32]

Sports

The Shandong Luneng Football Club is the most widely known sports team in Jinan. The club currently plays at the highest tier of Chinese football, the Chinese Super League. The Shandong Luneng Football Club is one of four clubs which have been playing in Chinese top football league for all the 15 seasons since the league turned professional in 1994. Over these 15 seasons the club has won 8 titles: Top League Champions (1999, 2006, 2008), FA Cups (1995, 1999, 2004, 2006), and CSL Cup (2004).

The most renowned basketball team in Jinan are the Shandong Golden Lions. Like the football team, the Shandong Golden Lions have been playing in the Chinese top basketball league for all the seasons (13 for basketball) since the league turned professional in 1995. The team's best season was 1997–1998 when it finished 3rd place. In the 2007–2008 season, the Shandong Golden Lions also reached the 3rd place at the end of the season, but they were knocked out at the first round of the playoffs.

In 2009, Jinan hosted the 11th National Games of the People's Republic of China, the premier sports event at the national level in China and the first major multi-sports event held in China after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The National Games' main venue was the Jinan Olympic Sports Center.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in China

Twin towns — sister cities

Jinan is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ K. Pletcher (ed.): The Geography of China: Sacred and Historic Places, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jinan. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 28, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online
  3. ^ The Travels of Marco Polo – The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition, Volume II
  4. ^ a b "中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）" (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3. Retrieved 2009-03-17. 
  5. ^ "Cleaner Production in China"
  6. ^ Neolithic Painted Pottery, National Museum of History, Taipeh
  7. ^ Morris Rossabi (1988): "Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times" Berkeley: University of California Press
  8. ^ Lanxin Xiang: The Origins of the Boxer War, Routledge, 2003
  9. ^ a b Kathryn Meyer, James H Wittebols, Terry Parssinen (2002): "Webs of Smoke: Smugglers, Warlords and the History of the International Drug Trade", published by Rowman & Littlefield
  10. ^ Patricia Buckley Ebrey, "Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook", Simon and Schuster
  11. ^ a b c d e Diana Lary: "Treachery, Disgrace and Death: Han Fuju and China's Resistance to Japan" War in History 2006 13 (1) 65–90
  12. ^ The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia – article "Tsinan"
  13. ^ a b c "Province for a Poet", Time Magazine, Monday, Oct. 04, 1948
  14. ^ a b c Jinan City Government online records for 1966 (1st half)
  15. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1967 (1st half)
  16. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1967 (2nd half)
  17. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1968
  18. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1969
  19. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1970
  20. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1974
  21. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1971
  22. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1972
  23. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1975
  24. ^ Jinan City Government online records for 1976
  25. ^ http://www.11th-games.org.cn/ 11th All China Games website
  26. ^ RightSite.asia | Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone
  27. ^ RightSite.asia | Jinan Export Processing Zone
  28. ^ "Introduction CNHTC." China National Heavy Duty Truck Group. Retrieved on July 8, 2010. "The headquarters of China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co., Ltd. (CNHTC) is located in Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China."
  29. ^ Jinan Coach Terminus official website (in Chinese)
  30. ^ Original, in simplified Chinese: "家家泉水，户户垂杨". In traditional Chinese: "家家泉水，戶戶垂楊"
  31. ^ description of Jinan Hang Lung Plaza by the developer
  32. ^ Jinan Military Region – GlobalSecurity.org

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