My sons final exam of the term finally finished last week after a long and stressful preparation. On Friday he asked where we were going for the following weekends. Well, weve only got Saturday and Sunday, because he starts his summer study this Monday. We needed to get out of the city of Beijing, to be away from where our regular lives are, so that we could feel like we were on holiday.

So we started looking at the high-speed train routes around Beijing. There is this 2-hour high-speed train circle that covers cities in Hebei, Henan and Shandong provinces. Shandong was new to us. Qufu and Taian looked like a great two-day trip. But the train tickets were all sold out by Saturday morning! Then we had this Jinan option. There were only a few tickets left and we bought them straight away using the train ticket app on our phone. There were also only a few tickets left for the train back to Beijing on Sunday afternoon. Apparently a weekend trip in this direction is quite popular with Beijingers.

What did we know about Jinan? It is the capital of Shandong Province, known as the Spring City because of the many springs (72 famous ones) in the city. Other than that, we had no idea what Jinan was like. I concluded that it is not a small city as the train from Beijing to Jinan can stop at 3 stations: Jinan West, Jinan and Jinan East. We booked the train to Jinan West, which has the most stops. The train took 2 hours and it took us about 30 minutes by taxi to get to the Shimao International Plaza where we stayed. The Plaza is right in the city centre, with lots of shopping malls, restaurants, small shops etc. Lets start the tour from here.

Shimao International Plaza（世茂广场）- Lots of clothes shops and restaurants inside. Even more people come here at night.

Kuanhouli(宽厚里) - Next to Shimao International Plaza, a large area with shops, restaurants, cafes, teahouses and bars in the traditional surroundings and buildings. The contrast between the historic environment and the modern goods and fashionable people is interesting and yet harmonious. It is a paradise for my son, who is a big eater. We walked around a lot to decide what to eat. There are famous local dishes from Jinan and popular dishes from the rest of China or even the world.

Qianfo Mountain（千佛山）- It is named after the thousands of Buddhist statuesin the mountain. It was a pity that the Buddha Cave was closed for renovationwhile we were there. However, we enjoyed the mountain a lot. We took the cablecar up to the mountain top where we had a full view of Jinan City. Then we walkeddown among the green trees and breezes.

Baotu Spring Park(趵突泉公园) - Baotu Spring is called The First Spring Under Heaven, the name given by Qianlong Emperor(1711-1799) when he visited Jinan for its beautiful taste. In addition, there are over 30 springs in the lush green park and there are memorial halls for the artist Li Kuchan and the great Song Dynasty poet Li Qingzhao. We took some nice pictures here.

Parc 66 (恒隆广场) - This is a huge shopping mall where you can spend several hours. We had dinner here on Saturday. There are many places to eat and we chose a restaurant with Jinan cuisine.

Daming Lake(大明湖) – Awarded as the First Spring Lake In The World by CHINA WORLD RECORDS ASSOCIATION, reputed as the Pearl of The Spring City. It is not only big,but also has beautiful, well designed sights. We took a boat cruise on thelake and also had an enjoyable walk around the lake.

Qushuiting Street（曲水亭街）- It is a historical area where old houses and some ofthe traditional local cultures are preserved. There are vendors selling handcraftedlittle things and of course a lot of things to eat and drink too.

Around-city Park(环城公园) – It is built along the moat in the old city centerof Jinan, altogether 6km, like a green necklace, connecting the major spotslike Heilong Spring, Baotu Spring, Zhenzhu Spring, Wulong Pool, and DamingLake. When we walked there, we felt glad for the people of Jinan to have such awonderful environment. Some people come to the springs to get the spring waterin their big bottles. There are spring water fountainson the streetsfor pedestriansto drink for free as well.

Furong Street(芙蓉街)- Warning: Very crowded here. A local told us that it is even more crowded at night. He said that on a normal weekend there are 200,000 visitors a day and during Golden Week there are 300,000 visitors. Most of the shops sell popular snacks from all over China. If you are not a fan of crowds, avoid this one. If you like people watching, then this is a great place for you!

The good thing was that when we left Furong Street, we saw Parc 66 right in front of us and had our second dinner there. Very good Thai food this time.
The drive to Jinan West took about 60 minutes and we almost missed our train! The traffic can be very slow on weekends, so always allow extra time.
Some pictures of the train:

The whole journey was pleasant and comfortable. The first impression of Jinan is very good: a prosperous, green, well-organised city with springs and mountains! And I really liked the fact that it usually took us less than 30 minutes to walk or cycle from one place to another.

By Angie Guo - Charmisson Travel