Jinan Between Springs, Lake and Art

Jinan is shaped by springs and waterways, as well as by art, history and a distinctive cuisine. This gives you different options when planning your trip: you could explore the spring landscapes and Daming Lake, for example, or set aside time for art and local food culture. When planning your holiday together, this variety can help you first decide which experiences are especially interesting to you. From there, you can consider which location for your holiday apartment best suits your interests, without limiting yourself to just one side of the city.

Lake and springs as defining features of the landscape

The “World's Best Spring Scenic Spot” scenic area covers three square kilometres and is a national 5A-rated scenic area. Natural landscapes are intertwined here with significant historical and cultural heritage. Daming Lake lies in the centre of Jinan, north of the historic old town. It covers 103.74 hectares and was formed by the confluence of spring water from four spring groups in the old city. The lake was mentioned as early as about 1,500 years ago in the treatise on the Ji River in the “Water Classic” by Li Daoyuan, a scholar of the Northern Wei. Its landscape and long history make the lake a destination in its own right for anyone wishing to discover Jinan through its springs.

Daming Lake has different opening times: the old area is free to enter from 05:00 to 22:00, while the new area is open around the clock. If you are planning your stay around the lake, these details can help you work out your schedule. The spring landscape is also evident at the Baotu Spring Group in the southwestern part of the city centre. It is one of Jinan’s ten major spring groups, covers 17 hectares and includes 37 spring pools spread throughout the area. Its size and number of pools give this spring group a different scale from Daming Lake.

Spring experiences and local cuisine

Interest in the springs extends beyond the landscape. Jinan offered 30 immersive experiences centred on its springs. These included swimming in spring-water pools, stand-up paddleboarding on the springs and drinking tea made with spring water. The examples show the different ways the theme of water was explored: as an activity, as a special setting and as part of a tasting experience. For planning your holiday, they can help you decide what kind of spring experience appeals to you; the activities mentioned are described as a past programme.

Spring water also plays a role in the local cuisine. You can sample clear spring water at drinking points around Quancheng Road. Around Baihuazhou, you can explore nearby old streets and try Lu cuisine with spring-water themes at long-established restaurants. This connects Jinan’s culinary side with two specific discoveries: sampling the water at the drinking points and trying regionally inspired dishes. If these kinds of experiences matter to you, you can consider them as a distinct focus when looking for a holiday apartment, alongside the landscape and art.

Art as another travel highlight

The Jinan Hanmeilin Art Museum is located at Quancheng Square. It has ten exhibition halls and displays nearly 1,300 works by the renowned Chinese artist Han Meilin. The works span calligraphy, painting, sculpture and ceramics. The range of media makes a visit to the museum particularly interesting if you would like to explore different forms of artistic expression. You can weigh up this focus on art alongside the nature- and water-related experiences when deciding which themes you want your trip to centre on.

More destinations: Weihai, Dongying, Qingdao, Rizhao, Zaozhuang, Liaocheng, Jining, Zibo.

For the full travel overview: Shandong.