Jinan

Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, lies in the lower reaches of the Huanghe River. A junction of the Beijing-Shanghai and Qingdao-Jinan railway lines, it is north of Mt. Tai and south of the Huanghe River. The total area of the municipality is 4, 875 square kilometers, while that of the city proper is 483 square kilometers. The climate is temperate. It is hottest in late July to early August (33 ℃ ) and coldest in January (-6 0 C ). Annual precipitation is about 700 millimeters, falling mainly in July and August.
Jinan has a long history. The discovery of the ruins of neolithic cultures, the Dawenkou Culture and the Longshan Culture shows that the land was inhabited by humans 5, 000 years ago. A city wall was built 2, 400 years later. Jinan was first called Luo. During the Han Dynasty, about 2, 100 years ago, it was renamed Jinan because it was geographically south of the ancient Ji River (its course is approximately the present-day lower reaches of the Huanghe River). The name has been kept even though that river dried up centuries ago. The city became a prefecture in 1116 during the Song Dynasty. When Shandong Province was formed in the Ming Dynasty, Jinan received the status of a provincial capital. The modern development of Jinan did not begin until 1852, when the Huanghe River changed its course towards the north, and the city obtained access to the waterways of north Shandong and south Hebei. The municipality was set up in 1929.
Jinan has always been known as the "City of Springs."It was described in historical records as "springs flowing by every door under the deep shade of willow trees", and "having the most beautiful springs under heaven."During the Jin Dynasty (1127-1224), 72 springs were counted, and their names were chiseled into a stone tablet. Within the city's present boundaries, there are more than 100 springs. The water bubbles up from the ground sometimes sparingly-and maintains a constant temperature of 18 ° C. Most of the springs are located in the older section of Jinan. Parks were built around the most famous ones.