Jinan

Understand

Jinan has four well-defined seasons: spring is dry, summer is hot and wet, autumn is crisp and winter is dry and cold with little snow.

History The Yellow River basin was China's cultural centre during the Neolithic period, and so it comes as no surprise that the area around present day Jinan has been inhabited for over 4,000 years. The oldest finds in the region are from the Longshan culture (roughly 3,000-2,000 BCE), a Late Neolithic culture noted for its advanced black 'egg-shell pottery', sometimes as thin as a millimetre. The name is from Longshan District, an area in Jilin Prefecture where the first relics were found, but the culture seems to have been considerably more widespread than that. Fast forward past the Shang and Zhou dynasty. After the fall of the Zhou dynasty many independent states arose during a time known as the Spring and Autumn period. Eventually only a handful remained, striving for power during the Warring States period. During this era Jinan lay on the border of the state of Qi and the state of Lu. The great wall of Qi, to the East of Jinan, is a remnant of this age. It is the oldest Great Wall in China, and portions are accessible as open air museum. Lu (鲁) on the other hand was the home state of Confucius, and the character is still used as abbreviation for Shandong. It was during the Han Dynasty (202BCE-220CE) that Jinan became an important economic and cultural hub, and its role only became more prominent during the following dynasties. Some well known poets, painters and even a Han dynasty ruler all called Jinan their home. Two events that connected Jinan to the outside world in a new way spurred development and brought Jinan firmly into the modern age. The first was a natural evolution. In 1852 the Yellow River shifted its course, moving to the bed of the Ji river from which Jinan derives its name. The Yellow River, being connected to the Grand Canal, now connected Jinan both to the Imperial capital in the north, and to agricultural areas in the south. By the end of the 19th century, the German Empire had established a concession in Qingdao on the Shandong coast, and a similar German area was built in what is now the area around the train station. The Germans built a railway connecting Jinan and Qingdao, this however was met with strong local resistance, which eventually led to the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion. Despite all this the railway was opened for traffic in 1904, opening up Jinan to foreign trade.

Getting there

Jinan is the hub of traffic for the region and province so you'll likely end up here if heading elsewhere in Shandong, notably Qingdao and Yantai. High speed rail runs on both north-south and east-west lines through Jinan.

By plane You can fly to Jinan, but the airport is 40 km northeast of downtown. A taxi will take an hour and cost about ¥150. A shuttle bus travels between the airport and downtown hourly from 06:00 to 17:00. It takes just as long and costs ¥20. A subroute of bus 16 also goes to the airport. You can find flights from most major cities. Shandong Airlines is the major carrier. (Shandong Airlines code-shares with Air China, so your ticket and check-in may well say Air China.)

1 Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport. A small but modern airport far to the north-east of the city center. (updated Sep 2022)

By train Jinan is on the major line from Shanghai to Beijing so you can take the train. It's about 2½ hours by fast train from Beijing and 3½ hours from Shanghai. Overnight sleeper trains can also be taken to Beijing.

2 Daming Lake Station (Daminghu Railway Station) (大明湖站). A smaller station in central Jinan. 3 Jinan East Station (济南东站). Jinan East Station serves trains to Shijiazhuang. This station is however some distance from the city centre but is closer to the airport. Not to be confused with the old Jinan East train station (now a protected building) which is in Licheng district and within the city proper. 4 Jinan Station (济南站). Jinan Train Station is on the Qingdao-Jinan High-Speed Railway and is most convenient for traveling to stations further east in Shandong such as Zibo and Qingdao. A few high-speed trains from Beijing also pass through the station daily. Jinan Train Station is in the city center and a short taxi or bus ride from Quancheng Square. 5 Jinan West Station (济南西站). Jinan West Station serves trains on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and can be used for trains to many other major cities including Tianjin, Nanjing, and Suzhou among others. This station is however an approximately 45-minute drive from the city center if the traffic is good.

By bus It is very easy to get to Jinan with lots of buses running all day and some at night. Be sure to ask which station the bus will arrive in as there are two main ones, the long distance bus station (长途汽车站) and the train station bus station (客运汽车站).

6 Jinan Square Station (济南广场汽车站), Chezhan Street, Tianqiao District. Long distance bus station opposite Jinan Train Station. 7 Jinan Long Distance Bus Station East, Side Rd of 2nd Ring Rd East, Huayuan Rd, Licheng

Getting around

Jinan is a very large city and travelling by public transport is very difficult for non-Chinese speakers, with the exception of the Jinan Metro.

By bus Buses are ¥1, or ¥2 for air-conditioned. Buses that begin with K or B are supposedly air-conditioned and even if the a/c is off or not working. ¥1 (no a/c) buses are quite rare and only serve specific lines. You may be charged a discounted price if you use the transit cards, you can get these cards at a bus service center or on Apple Pay. Most buses with two digits serve the central city. Three digit ones are either coming from or going to the suburbs (may be very far). Bus stops are easily identifiable and bus numbers are written in the Western numbers both on the buses and at the bus stops. The lists of stops for a given route are posted at every bus stop, but in Chinese only, although the beginning and end stations are written in pinyin.

1 Tourism Bus Station, 71 Yingxiongshan Rd, Shizhong District, ☏ +86 531 8831 6116. A coach station allowing journeys to more distant Jinan sites.

By taxi Taxis drivers do not speak English, and they will often not be able to read maps or your destination in pinyin. So to be certain to reach your destination, make sure you have it written out in Chinese. Price for shorter trips from ¥7.50. It can be difficult to get a taxi between 07:00-08:00 and 18:00-19:00. Many taxi drivers will try to cheat out-of-towners, foreigners and Chinese alike. Obtaining a taxi is now more difficult than ever due to the drivers using apps to collect fares rather than parking up and waiting; this can lead to extremely long waits for taxis at the taxi rank outside Jinan Train Station as taxis now avoid the taxi rank after dropping off customers in order to collect better paying fares they have identified through apps.

By boat There is a moat encircling the city centre which flows into and out of Daming Lake. Small boats take groups of passengers on trips around the moat and Daming Lake, allowing them to get on and off at various locations (which can be seen on the map at detailed zoom levels). The boat is no faster than walking and is not a form of regular transportation but is useful and pleasant for tourists spending a day in the city centre.

By metro As of 2023, the Jinan Metro system has 3 lines which cover the West (line 1) and East (line 3) ends of the city with another line (line 2) connecting them and passing through the north of the city. It's a modern, fast and reliable way to travel. However, there are no lines passing through the city centre; the closest to any of

See

Travellers on a short trip to Jinan are likely to gain most by focusing on the city center, particularly the north-south stretch from Daming Lake through Quancheng Square to Qianfo Mountain, and by adding a trip to the City Government District if time permits. While many museums are free to visit it is always recommended to carry identification such as a passport or risk being refused entry.

City Center (Daming Lake) Nationally-famous Daming Lake is an icon of Jinan, a AAAAA attraction, and must-see for visitors.

1 Confucius Culture Museum, 214 Daminghu Rd, Lixia District. Located at the Jinan Confucius Temple, on the southern bank of Daming Lake and northern end of Furong Street, this complex hosts a number halls and pavilions with statues of Confucius and other ancient sages. (updated Jul 2017) 2 Daming Lake Park (大明湖公园), Baotuquan North Rd, Lixia District. A park situated on the northern and western banks, within which are cafes, pavilions, a 'strange stone' museum, and other ancient buildings. Scenic boat rides can be booked for around ¥20 per person. Free entrance to the park, inside are some small museums and mansions that cost ¥5 each. (updated Nov 2017) 3 Jinan Old Town, Qushuiting Street, Lixia District. A neighbourhood of alleys and traditional Chinese buildings immediately east of the Jinan Confucius Temple, an expansion with new faux-traditional Chinese architecture was completed in 2016. There are numerous springs, tea houses, the Hundred Flower Pond, and the former residence of 20th century Chinese scholar Lu Dahuang. Free. 4 Memorial Temple of Xin Qiji, Daming Hu Road, Lixia District (West side of Xia Garden, south bank of the lake). Rebuilt from the original Li Hongzhang Temple, this is a memorial to Xin Qiji, a famous poet and warrior from the Song dynasty. (updated Jul 2017) 5 Minghu Art Gallery (明湖美术馆), Quehua Rd, Lixia District. An impressive modern pagoda standing on an island near the center of the lake containing examples of traditional Chinese arts. (updated Jul 2017)

City Center (Quancheng Square) Enormous Quancheng Square dominates the city center and stands immediately east of the nationally-famous Baotu Spring.

6 Baotu Spring Park (趵突泉公园), 1 Baotuquan South Rd, Lixia District, ☏ +86 531 86920439. Must-see park immediately to the west of Quancheng Square surrounds the 'number 1 spring under heaven', Baotu Spring. Includes gardens, pavilions and a number of small museums and memorial halls dedicated to famous locals. AAAAA attraction. ¥40/20 for regular/student ticket. Li Qingzhao Memorial Hall. Li Kuchan Memorial

Do

1 Jinan International Convention & Exhibition Center (济南国际会展中心 or 济南国际会展), Huizha Rd, Lixia District, ☏ +86 531 8888 5666. Large conference center on the eastern outskirts of the city proper. Mostly holds industry and business fairs but there are occasional cultural exhibitions too. (updated Aug 2017) 2 Minghu Ju (明湖居), 29 Daminghu Rd, Lixia District, ☏ +86 531 8277 3666. Qing Dynasty theater showing traditional operas with a restaurant and tea house. (updated Aug 2017) 3 Shandong Acrobatics Troupe Theatre (山东省杂技团金奖演艺厅), 71 Wenhua Road, Lixia District. Home theatre of world class Chinese acrobatic troupe. (updated Aug 2017) 4 Shandong Grand Theatre Opera Hall (山东省会大剧院歌剧厅), Weihai Road, Huaiyin Qu, 250000. Modern theatre in the new western area of the city near the western railway station. (updated Mar 2018)

Buy

Jinan is a sprawling city with a huge number of modern shopping centers and older commercial streets. Visitors on a short trip should find almost everything they need within the north-south stretch from Daming Lake through Quancheng Square to Qianfo Mountain.

Central shopping district The central shopping district is centered around Quancheng Square with the majority of large stores along Quancheng Road a short walk north of the square. Quancheng Road also has access to the southern entrance to Furong Street, a busy food street with many small restaurants and snack traders. There is also a small faux-ancient shopping quarter filled with small cafes and trinket stores at the corner of Heilongquan West and Heilongquan North streets.

1 Guihe Shopping Center (贵和购物中心), 3 Tian Di Tan Street, Quancheng Road, Lixia District. A luxury shopping center immediately to the east of Parc 66; Guihe shopping center holds high-end stores such as Armani, Boss, Louis Vuitton and Omega. At the eastern side of the building is the entrance to Jinan Crowne Plaza Hotel where you can have tea in the lobby or eat at the international buffet. (updated Jul 2017) 2 Inzone Shopping Mall (Silva Plaza) (银座大厦), 66 Luoyuan Street, Lixia District, ☏ +86 531 8606 5990. A large department store with a number of luxury boutiques such as Prada, this outlet of the Inzone chain stands a short walk from the south-eastern corner of Quancheng Square. The store can be entered from either the north or south of Luoyuan Street as a wing of the building is constructed over and on both sides of the street. There is a supermarket and small food hall in the basement. (updated Jul 2017) 3 Parc 66 (济南恒隆广场 or Plaza 66), 188 Quancheng Rd, Lixia District, ☏ +86 531 5563 8888. 10:00-22:00. This enormous modern structure stands immediately north of Quancheng Square with a convenient bridge passing between them. Lower storeys hold Western brands such as Adidas, Clarks, Nike, Omega, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Swarovski, and Zara; higher storeys hold Chinese brands and high-quality restaurants. There is parking and a supermarket in the basement. A number of casual Chinese dessert cafes stand on the multi-storey bridge that spans the two buildings forming this shopping centre. (updated Jul 2017) 4 Shimao International Square (世茂国际广场), 26 Quancheng Rd, Lixia District. A large modern shopping center on Quancheng Road, a short walk east from Guihe Plaza, this building holds a large number of modern Chinese brands and also some Western brands such as Casio, Costa Coffee, C&A and Uniqlo. There are cafes, restaurants and a

Eat

Opportunities to eat in Jinan are plentiful; from luxury restaurants to farmers cooking at the road side, you will find an enormous variety of prices and standards. The majority of traditional restaurants may be difficult for non-Chinese speakers who will at the best need to choose by pointing at pictures in a menu; more convenient options for these visitors include canteens, food halls, and restaurants within shopping centers and hotels. The cuisine of Shandong province (known in Mandarin as LuCai) is one of China's eight great culinary traditions and many restaurants will have dishes to sample, unfortunately a non-Chinese speaker may again face difficulties identifying these. Local dishes will typically contain soup (a particular focus of Jinan-style Shandong cuisine), seafood, maize, peanuts, and breads in place of rice. Jinan is also known for crisp pancake style snacks although these are less commonly sold on the street now. Many visitors may find the tastes of traditional Shandong dishes unusual if their previous experience of Chinese food is mainly from Cantonese-style restaurants abroad; for those craving something more familiar there are a small number of international food chains with outlets in the city. Finally, vegetarians, vegans and others with a special diet will face special difficulties in the city; traditional restaurants will have few options in particular for herbivores and those that do exist will often be too light to leave one satisfied or even adulterated unintentionally with meat products. Communicating your special needs will compound the difficulty if you have no Chinese language skills.

Budget Inexpensive food is abundant in Jinan! Western visitors will find plenty of outlets of McDonalds, KFC and a few Burger Kings if they need something familiar; the national Li XianSheng (Mr. Li) and Dico's fastfood chains also have many outlets serving reasonably priced meals. Competing national bakery chains Aili and Holiland can also be found throughout the city.

Bon Appetit, Lushang Shopping Center in Yuhan Inzone Mall, B-204 (across from the old stadium), ☏ +86 531-66699900. 10:00-00:00. Authentic Italian food. Pastas, pizzas and entrees from ¥70 served in an elegant atmosphere. Most of the staff speaks English and there's an English menu. Over ¥40. 1 Furong Street (芙容街 or Freetown), Lixia District. Jinan's famous food street, a long narrow alley with traditional buildings holding scores of restaurants, canteens, bakeries and stalls. Foods range from traditional dishes and snacks to experimental desserts. (updated Aug 2017) Lyd

Drink & nightlife

Jinan has few pubs and nightclubs in the Western sense; alcohol is mostly drunk either with dinner in restaurants or around miniature chairs and tables outside at either night time street barbecues or small beer shops which serve light snacks. Lighter drinks can be found at tea houses, bubble tea shops and the growing number of coffee shops.

Coffee Western travelers will find branches of Starbucks and Costa Coffee at shopping mall locations throughout the city as well as multiple outlets of the established Chinese UBC Coffee chain.

1 Maan Coffee (CCPARK) (满咖啡 (CCPARK)), CCPARK, 1 Foshan Rd, Lixia District. First Jinan branch of the trendy national coffee chain situated on the ground floor of the CCPARK shopping center, this Maan Coffee has an attractive interior and serves all types of coffee along with large desserts such as waffles and French toast. Free wifi connections and a late close at midnight. (updated Jul 2017) 2 Maan Coffee (Greenland Puli Center) (满咖啡 (绿地中心)), Greenland Puli Center, 28 Gongqingtuan Road, Shizhong District. The city's second branch of the trendy national chain, this is situated at the bottom of the prominent Greenland Puli Center, Jinan's tallest and most prominent building. Another attractive interior, free wifi and various coffees and desserts make this a pleasant spot for a late night break. (updated Jul 2017) 3 Old Town Ancient Photograph House (老城故事照相馆), 9 Qushuiting Street, Lixia District. In the centre of Jinan's Old Town, a short walk from the Daming Lake and Furong Street, this small coffee counter serves iced lattes and other drinks, perfect for exploring the alleys and springs of the Old Town on a hot summer day. (updated Jul 2017)

Pubs and Bars 4 English Corner (街角酒店), 3 Foshan Street, Lixia District, ☏ +86 186 6014 8519. Bar serving cold bottle beer near the Sofitel. Jenny's Cafe (Right across the street from the Bank of China on LiShan Lu). Offers a wide range of cuisines including Italian and Mexican. This place used to be a foreigner hangout until management changed and the staff became unfriendly, the dishes halved in size and the prices doubled. Expensive western food in addition to many expensive drinks. Prices are like European prices, but at least you can eat something else than garlic beans and tofu. They also serve imported beer (Paulaner, Erdinger, Guinness, etc.) if you want a quality beer for a change. There's a small store next door that sells imported products like cheese. Lang Kwui Fong (兰佳方), Wenhua Dong Rd (Between Shanda Rd and Shan Shi Dong Street, on the South site of the street.).

Sleep

There are plenty of places to choose from in the ¥200 range. There is a complex of fancy hotels in the swank SE of the city at the end of Lishan Lu, which are all surprisingly affordable for what they are, considering they have beautiful grounds, five-star services and facilities, etc., for maybe US$70–80. There are also hotels at the transport nexus at the train station, but that's a little removed from the sites.

Budget Jinan Railway Hotel, 19 Rail Station Street (Chezhan Jie 19; 车站街19号), ☏ +86 531-58980088. Three-star hotel from 1996. Internet available against payment. Meeting facilities, ticket office, laundry service and sauna available. Chinese restaurant, tea house and room service. Discounted doubles from ¥170; Breakfast ¥15. (updated Jun 2017) Jinan Tianjia Business Affairs Hotel, 2 Fukang Street, ☏ +86 531-81772177. Free internet. Meeting facilities, ticket office and laundry service available. Chinese restaurant and room service. Disounted rates for doubles of ¥128; breakfast ¥8. Jinjiang Inn, Lishan Branch, 山大南路西廷长线1号, ☏ +86 531-86981999. This 130-room hotel opened its doors in 2009. It is located along a new Eastern extension of Shanda South Road. It's located just outside the city moat, so one could easily walk from here to Black Tiger Spring and the city Square, or to Daming Lake. There is wired internet in the rooms for your laptop. ¥159-229. Joyinn & Suites-Shanda, 77 Shanda North Road (Next to Shandong University), ☏ +86 531-88028588. Free internet. Meeting facilities, ticket office, laundry service and chess/poker room available. Chinese restaurant and room service. Discounted rates for double rooms from ¥130 including breakfast.

Middle Zhong Hao Grand Hotel (In Lixia District). Quite affordable. It particularly boasts beautiful business suites as well as conference facilities. Online booking available on the website.

Splurge 1 Crowne Plaza Hotel (InterContinental Jinan City Centre), 3 Tian Di Tan Street, Quancheng Rd, Lixia District, ☏ +86-531-86029999. The Crowne Plaza Hotel and attached Guihe Shopping Plaza were stylishly renovated in 2016 to better compete with the ultra-modern neighbouring Parc 66 shopping centre. The entrance is on the eastern side of the complex where lifts can take you up to the airy lobby and attractive Western restaurant. The location, at the centre of the north-south stretch from Daming Lake through Quancheng Square to Qianfo Mountain, is likely the best of any hotel in the city for tourists. 2 Hyatt Regency Jinan (济南万达凯悦酒店), 187 Jingsi Rd, Shizhong District, ☏ +86 531 8828 123

Go next

Jinan is a great base from which to explore Shandong Province as it is the central transport hub.

Dezhou - A city neighbouring Jinan to the north-west, home to a famous tomb of a king from the Philippines and a famous chicken dish. Pinyi County - Home to the Guinness World Records approved largest dinosaur museum, the Tianyu Natural Museum. Qingdao - Shandong's second city, home of the internationally known Chinese beer brand, and a former colonial city of the German Empire. Qufu - Host to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Confucius Manor, Temple and Graveyard, plus temples to other pivotal Chinese philosophers. Tai'an- Host to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mount Tai, a short train ride from Jinan. Zibo - A large city neighbouring Jinan to the east, host to a number of interesting museums. Further afield, there are a number of major cities easily reached from Jinan due to the city being on the Beijing-Shanghai railway.

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