Park of China
Overview
| Province | Shandong |
| Location | Shandong |
| Latitude, longitude | 36.6, 117.0 Google Maps |
| Nearby cities | Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing |
| Highlights | City of Springs |
| Top sights | Baotu Spring, Daming Lake, Thousand Buddha Mountain |
| Nearby sites | Lingyan Temple 26km, Mount Tai (Taishan) 40km, Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, Qufu 111km, Qingzhou Scenic Area 130km Search nearby |
| Themes | City, Lake, Spring, Hill, Long River, Prehistory, Archaeological sites |
About
Jinan, capital of Shandong, lies between the Yellow River to the north and the Taishan range to the south. Its many springs, said to number 72, earn it the name City of Springs (see Jinan Springs). Its three great sights are Baotu Spring, Daming Lake and Thousand Buddha Mountain.
City sights
Baotu Spring: first-batch national key park
Five Dragon Pool: with Qin Qiong’s former home
Nine Points of Qi Mist: the small hills on both banks of the Yellow River north of the city
Jinniu Park: zoo
Tomb of Min Ziqian: in Baihua Park
Suburban sights
Chengziya site of the Longshan culture: Neolithic site famed for eggshell black pottery, at Longshan Subdistrict, Zhangqiu District, about 30 km east of the city
Four Gate Pagoda
Lingyan Temple: famed for its painted sculpture; “to visit Taishan without Lingyan is no visit at all”
Baimai Spring: Zhangqiu District, east of Jinan
Zhujiayu: Guanzhuang Subdistrict, Zhangqiu District, a historic village of China
Red Leaf Valley
Wildlife park
Dragon Cave
Stamps
In 2026 China Post issued 2026-8 “Springs of Jinan”, four stamps: Baotu Spring leaping up, a winding stream through the lanes, boat songs on the city moat, and Daming Lake gathering the waters.
Autumn Colours on the Qiao and Hua Mountains
Zhao Mengfu's “Autumn Colours on the Qiao and Hua Mountains”, painted in the Yuan dynasty, shows two hills north of Jinan: the flat-topped Mount Que (Qiao) on the left and the steep cone of Mount Huabuzhu (now Mount Hua) on the right. Zhao had served as an official in Jinan; back in the south, he painted it for his friend Zhou Mi, whose family came from Jinan but who had never been there, to show him the autumn countryside outside the city. Below the hills lie open fields, marshes, trees and cottages, drawn with a light, sparse brush; it is one of the key works of Yuan scholar painting.
Both hills rise from the plain by the Yellow River: the area around Mount Hua is now the Huashan Lake scenic area, and Mount Que stands on the north bank of the river.
Further afield
Taishan: first of the Five Sacred Mountains, about 60 km south
Boshan: National Park of China, about 100 km east
Nearby
| World Heritage | Mount Tai (Taishan) 46km, Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, Qufu 118km, Yin Xu, Anyang 260km |
| National parks | Thousand Buddha Mountain 4km, Boshan Scenic Area 80km, Qingzhou Scenic Area 128km |
| Detailed guides | Lingyan Temple 33km |
| AAAAA attractions | Jinan Springs <1km, Zhoucun Ancient Commercial City Scenic Area 74km, Yimeng Mountain Scenic Area 130km, Hengshui Lake Tourist Area 165km, Firefly Water Cave and Underground Grand Canyon Tourist Area 166km, Yellow River Estuary Ecotourism Area 197km |
| AAAA attractions | Impression Jinan Spring World Tourism Scenic Area 11km, Lianhuashan 13km, Jinan Fantawild Oriental Heritage 14km, Jinan Sunac Culture Tourism City 15km, Quancheng Polar Ocean World 19km, Quancheng Europa-Park Dreamland 19km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark 130km |
| Historic cities | Tai'an 53km, Liaocheng 96km |
| National key parks | Baotu Spring Park <1km, Daming Lake 1km |
| Historical sites | Jinan Wanzhu Garden 1km, Former Cheeloo University Modern Building Complex 1km, Jinan Weier Road Modern Building Complex 3km, Former Jinan Station of the Jiaoji Railway Modern Building Complex 3km, Hongjialou Catholic Church 4km, Jinan Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge 7km |
| National geoparks | Yiyuan Lushan National Geopark 115km |
| Historic villages | Zhujiayu Village 50km |