Jinan Hotels

Jinan is a sub-provincial city and the capital of Shandong 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 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.

Jinan is renown 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" as "Every family has spring water,every household has a willow tree".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.

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" 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"."Baotu" 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 A.D - 1799 A.D) of the Qing Dynasty who declared it "the first spring under the heaven".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 is often regarded as the "Three Greatest Attractions in Jinan".Other notable parks in the city include the Five Dragon Pool near the Baotu Spring Park,the Black Tiger Spring on the southern city moat,and the Baimai Springs of Zhangqiu City to the east of Jinan.