Jinan (Jǐnán 济南) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of Shandong (shān dōng 山东)Province in the People's Republic of 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 is located in north-western Shandong about 400 kilometers south of the national capital of Beijing (běi jīng 北京), it borders Liaocheng (liáo chéng 聊城) to the southwest, Dezhou (dé zhōu 德州) to the northwest, Binzhou (bīn zhōu 滨州) to the northeast, Zibo (zī bó 淄博) to the east, Laiwu (lái wú 莱芜) to the southeast, and Tai'an (tài ān 泰安) to the south.

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 area.  

Climate
Jinan has a humid subtropical climate 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 in winter. The average annual temperature is 14.2℃, and the annual rainfall is around 675 mm. January is the coldest and driest month, the monthly averages are -5.4℃ for the daily minimum temperature, 3.6℃for the daily maximum temperature, and 6.6 mm for the rainfall. July is the warmest and wettest month, the corresponding numbers are 23.5℃,                                Click to Enlarge      32.6℃, and 190.9mm.                                                                

Attractions
Daming Lake (dà míng hú 大明湖)

Daming Lake is the largest lake in the city of Jinan and one of the city's main natural and cultural landmarks. Located to the north of the historical city center, the lake is fed by the artesian karst springs of the area and hence retains a fairly constant water level through the entire year.

Address: NO.271, Daming Lake Road, Lixia (lì xià 历下) County, Jinan
Admission Fee: CNY 30
Bus Route: Take bus NO.14,30,31,36,41,45,46,K53,63,83,113,118,122,201
and get off at the Daming Lake South Gate stop.

The Baotu Spring Park (bào tū quán gōng yuán  趵突泉公园)

The Baotu Spring is the most renown among the more than 70 named artesian springs in the downtown area of the city of Jinan. The water of all these springs originates from an Ordovician karst aquifer under the city. As the terrain around Jinan slopes from the south down to the north, the recharge are for the aquifer is located in the mountainous area to the south of the city. The recharge area of the springs covers 1,500 square kilo-meters, out of which 550 km² provide direct recharge and 950 km² indirect recharge.

Altogether, the springs fed by the aquifer have a discharge of about 300,000-350,000 cubic meters per day. Since the 1970s, the springs have stopped flowing several times because too much water has been taken out from the aquifer for human consumption (more than 270,000 m³ per day in the 1970s).

The Baotu Spring is part of a cluster of about 20 named springs. Water age estimates suggest that its water originates from shallow circulation.

The spring pool of the Baotu spring is fed by an underwater limestone water through three outlets, the volume of the water coming out of the spring can reach peak values up to 1.6 cubic meters per second. The water jets from the spring are said to have reached highs up to 26 meters. The water temperature remains constant of 18 degree Celsius through the entire year.

Address: Baotu Spring South Road 1, Lixia (lì xià 历下) County, Jinan
Admission Fee: CNY 40
Bus Route: Take bus NO.1,3,41,66,101,106,K109,K50,K51,K59,K95 and get off at the Baotu Spring East Gate; take bus NO.19,49,72,102,128,165,K54,K96 and get off at the Baotu Spring South Gate; take but NO.101,109,K59 and get off at the Baotu Spring North Gate.

Thousand-Buddha Mountain (qiān fó shān 千佛山)
It is renowned for its numerous Buddha images which have been carved out of the hill's rock faces or free-standing structures erect since the times of the Sui (suí 隋) Dynasty (581-618, A.D.) and its Xingguochan (xìng guó chán 兴国禅) Temple.

According to a legend related in the Youyang Zazu (Youyang Miscellanies) by the Tang Dynasty writer Duan Chengshi (duàn chéng shì 段成式) (800-863), the Thousand Buddha Mountain was originally located by the sea and the sea god had locked it in place there by a large lock in order to prevent the god in charge of the mountains from moving it around. However, eventually the lock broke and the mountain was hurled through the air into its present position. An artwork shaped as a large lock and a piece of chain has been placed on the summit of the mountain as a reference to the legend.

Address: NO.18,Jing Eleven Road (jīng shí yī lù  经十一路), Lixia (lì xià 历下) County, Jinan
Admission Fee: CNY 30
Bus Route: Take bus NO.16,48,62,64,65,115,117,K139,K301,K51,K56 and get off at Thousand-Buddha Mountain; take but NO.137 and get off at Thousand-Buddha Mountai South Gate; take bus NO.44,64,66,K54 and get off at Thousand-Buddha Mountai West Gate.

Five Dragon Pool Park (wǔ lóng tán 五龙潭)

The Five Dragon Pool is a culturally significant pond fed by artesian karst springs in the city of Jinan,. It is one of the most renown springs among the 72 famous springs of Jinan.

The spring that supplies the water for the Five Dragon Pool belongs to a group of springs that also contains 28 other springs, such as the Tianjing (tiān jìng 天镜) Spring, Seventy-three Spring, Ximizhi (xī mì zhī 西蜜脂) Spring, Huima (Huímǎ 回马) Spring, Yueya (yuè yá 月牙) Spring, Xianqing Spring (Xiánqīng Quán 贤清泉), and the Qiuxi Spring (Qiúxī Quán 虬溪泉). The water of the Five Dragon Spring originates from the deepest circulation of all the springs in Jinan City.
Legend links the Five Dragon Pool to the Tang Dynasty general Qin Shubao (qín shū bǎo 秦叔宝), whose residence is said to have stood at the site. According to the legend, the spring pool formed after torrential rains and submersed Qin Shubao's home.

In 1985, the Five Dragon Pool Public Park (Wǔ Lóng Tán Gōng Yuán 五龙潭公园) was established and the garden landscape surrounding the springs was restored.

Address: NO.2, Jiangjia Pool (jiāng jiā chí 江家池), Tianqiao (tiān qiáo 天桥) County
Admission Fee: CNY 5
Bus Route: Take but to the Baotu Spring Park and walk to the Five Dragon Pool Park.

The Black Tiger Spring (hēi hǔ quán 黑虎泉)
The Black Tiger Spring is a culturally significant artesian karst spring located in the city of Jinan. The spring is ranked as the second most significant among the 72 named springs in Jinan (after the Baotu Spring). The water of spring stems from moderately-deep circulation and emerges from a water-filled limestone cave in a steep cliff. From the mouth of the cave, the water is funneled to flow out of the mouths of three ornamental stone-carved tiger heads into a square-shaped spring pool. From there it runs into the old city moat, next to which the spring is located. According to the tradition, there was a black rock lying in front of the cave in ancient time. The name of the spring is said to be derived from the shape and color of the rock, which resembled a black tiger, and the sound of the water gushing past the rock being reminiscent of the roar of a tiger. Address: Black Tiger Spring West Road, Lixia County

Location: Black Tiger Spring West Road, Lixia (lì xià 历下) County
Admission Fee: Free
Bus Route: Take bus NO.14,36,44,49,70,80,102,K54,K96 and get off at the Black Tiger Spring.

Baimai Springs Park (bǎi mài quán 百脉泉)
The Baimai Springs are a group of artesian karst springs located in the town of Ming Shui (míng shuǐ 明水), Zhangqiu City (zhāng qiū 章丘), about 25 kilometers west from the city center of the provincial capital Jinan. The site of the springs is renowned for its natural beauty and as the one-time residence of the female Song Dynasty poet Li Qingzhao (lǐ qīng zhào 李清照).

The Baimai Spring proper is located in the courtyard of the Dragon Spring Temple (lóng quán sì 龙泉寺). Its spring pool covers a rectangular area of 25 by 14.5 meters and has a depth of 2 meters. The springs and the historical buildings that surround them are part of a public park. The park was established in 1985 and covers an area of 25 hectares. Besides the springs, it also contains some small lakes, such as Wanquan Lake (wàn quán hú 万泉湖;literally "10,000 Springs Lake") that are fed by the springs. Within the park, the Qingzhao Ci (qīng zhào cí 清照祠) Poetry Garden is laid out according to the aesthetic principles of ci poetry with the four romantic themes: wind, flowers, snow, and moon.

Address: NO.31, Huiquan (huì quán 汇泉) Road, Lixia (lì xià 历下) County
Admission Fee: CNY 15
Bus Route: Take Zhangqiu bus NO. 4,9 and get off at Baimai Springs Park.

The Four Gates Pagoda (sì mén tǎ 四门塔)

The Four Gates Pagoda is a Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) stone Chinese pagoda located in central Shandong Province. It is thought to be the oldest remaining pavilion-style stone pagoda in China. The oldest extant brick-built pagoda in China is the 40 m (130 ft) tall Songyue Pagoda (sōng yuè tǎ 松月塔) of 523 AD.

According to an inscription on a stone tablet which was discovered inside the pagodas ceiling in 1972, the pagoda was "built in the seventh year of the Daye (dà yè 大业) period of the Sui Dynasty". This corresponds to the year 611 AD, near the end of the dynasty. During the Sui Dynasty, stone and brick were introduced as material for building pagodas. The Four-Gates Pagoda was build from blocks quarried from a hard local rock. All extant older stone pagodas are sculptured pagodas or columns in the shape of a pagoda. The simple design of the Four Gates Pagoda is typical for one-storey, pavilion-style pagodas: It has a square cross-section delineated by plane side walls. All elements of the structure are symmetrical with four identical sides each facing one of the four cardinal directions. In the center of each wall is a door with straight sides and round arch on top (hence the name). The roof of the pagoda is pyramid shaped. It consists of 23 tiers of overlapping stone slabs and is supported by 5 tiers of stone eaves. The tip of the roof is occupied by a stone steeple. The overall shape of the steeple resembles a box-shaped pagoda which is carved with Buddhist scriptures and sits on its own Sumeru pedestal with stone corner decorations in the shape of banana leaves. The spire of the steeple is made up of 5 stone discs. The total height of the pagoda is 10.4 meters; each side is 7.4 meters long.

Location: Liubu (liǔ bù 柳埠) Village, Licheng (lì chéng 历城) County, Jinan
Admission Fee: CNY 30
Bus Route: Take bus NO.67 and get off at The Four Gates Pagoda.

Thousand-Buddha Cliff (qiān fó yá 千佛崖)
The Thousand-Buddha Cliff is historical site of mostly Tang Dynasty rock carvings in central Shandong Province. Along a cliff face of 63 meters length, 285 meters high and over 515 statues and 43 inscriptions have been reported. Most of the statues were carved during 618-684.
The first Buddha sculpture is said to have been carved into the cliff by a 70-year old monk named Sha Dong (shā dōng 沙东) in the year 619 AD. After a hiatus of 25 years, two more Buddhist sculptures by another old monk named Ming De (míng dé 明德). Because Ming De felt his live was coming to an end at the time, he also donated money towards the carving of additional statues. However, in the year 657 AD he was still alive and carved more statues and inscriptions into the rock face. Because the official policy during the Tang Dynasty was to encourage conversion to Taoism, the carving of Buddhist statues implied a political risk. Hence, the inscriptions left by Sha Dong and Ming De point out that the sole purpose of the statues was prayer and not the expression of political opinions. Despite these difficulties, the work of carving the sculptures was continued by other Buddhist and eventually the Thousand-Buddha Cliff became the largest collection of Buddhist cliff statues in Shandong.

Besides the Buddhist sculptures, there are also secular statues depicting nobility such as relatives of the emperor, government officials, and famous monks. Among those are statues of Princess Nanping (nán píng 南平), the daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang (táng tài zōng 唐太宗) and her husband Liu Xuanyi (liú xuán yì 刘玄意).

Location: Liubu (liǔ bù 柳埠) Village, Licheng (lì chéng 历城) County, Jinan
Admission Fee: CNY 15
Bus Route: Take bus NO.67 and get off at The Four Gates Pagoda.

Lingyan Temple (líng yán sì 灵岩寺)

Lingyan Temple is a Buddhist temple located 20 kilo-meters from Tai'an in Changqing (zhǎng qīng 长清), Shandong. The temple grounds are situated along the western Taishan range. The temple has a long recorded history, the notable landmark of the 11th century Pizhi Pagoda tower, and the Thousand Buddha Hall which houses a Ming Dynasty bronze Buddha statue as well as 40 painted clay statues of life-size luohan (luó hàn 罗汉) from the Song Dynasty.

More than 500 Buddhist monks lived at Lingyan Temple during its height. The oldest structures at the site ate the various stone stupas and square-based stone Chinese pagoda in the pavilion style from the Tang Dynasty, the 8th century Huichong Pagoda. Of the 167 stone stupas at the temple, no two are identical, and like the luohan statues of the Thousand Buddha Hall, have been well-preserved and untouched by the Cultural Revolution. The tallest structure of the temple is the 54 m (177 ft) tall Pizhi Pagoda, built originally in 753, although the present structure was built from 1056 to 1063. Although the wooden halls were all reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), the stone pedestals at the base of the pillars in the Thousand Buddha Hall are the original work of the Tang and Song eras.

Location: Wande (wàn dé 万德) Village, Changqing (zhǎng qīng 长清) County, Jinan
Admission Fee: CNY 45
Bus Route: Take special line at Jinan  Long-distance Bus Stop.

Food
Shandong cuisine (Shāndōng cài 山东菜) more commonly known as Lu cuisine (lǔcài 魯菜) is one the Eight Culinary Traditions of China ("Eight Great Traditions", Zhōngguóde Bā Dà Càixì 中国的八大菜系) and is also ranked among the four most influential among these ("Four Great Traditions", Sì Dà Càixì 四大菜系). It is derived from the native cooking styles of Shandong.

Baochao yaohua (bàochǎo yāohuā 爆炒腰花)

Hongshao paigu (hóngshāo páigŭ 红烧排骨)

Jiuqu dachang (jiŭqū dàcháng 九曲大肠; literally "9-coil big guts")

Basi digua (básī dìguā 拔丝地瓜; literally "pull-out silk sweet potato") 

Hotels in Jinan
As a tourist city, Jinan hotel industry flourishes more and more. It is very easy to find a hotel in Jinan, ranging from 5 star hotels to youth hostels. Of course, it will be any traveler's first choice to stay in the city center due to the superior geographical location and the convenient transportation. Click here to get more information from China Travel Service

Here is some information about youth hostel for you

Jinan Yihe (yí hé 怡和) Youth Hostel
Add: No77, Shandong University North Road,Jinan
Tel: 0531-86946000

Jinan Hupan (hú pàn 湖畔) Youth Hostel
Add: No.25 Daizong (dài zōng 岱宗) Street, Jinan
Tel: 0531-86083676