Jinan, China

　　Jinan, China

　　Jinan, China

As the capital of Shandong province, Jinan is the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological, educational and financial center of the province. Sitting in the mid-east of Shandong province with Mount Tai to the south and the Yellow River in the north, Jinan is situated in the warm temperate continental monsoon climate zone. It enjoys distinct seasons and abundant sunshine, with annual average temperatures hovering between 13.5℃-15.5℃. With 10 districts and 2 counties under its jurisdiction, the city covers 10,244 square kilometers with a total population of 10.87 million.

Jinan is a city of modernity featuring booming economy. It is acknowledged as National Civilized City, National Sanitary City, National Double Support Model City, National Excellent Tourism City, National Water Eco-Civilization City, National Forest City, National Garden City, and National Demonstration City of Food Safety. Over recent years, the growth of its major economic indicators has remained among the best in the province, contributing to its hard-won status as a second tier city in the world and a member of the top 50 Asian cities. Jinan proudly comes out first among the 28 provincial capitals and sub-provincial cities in the annual assessment for the National Civilized City status.

Jinan is a renowned historical and cultural city featuring ample legacies. As a National Renowned Historical and Cultural City with a civilization history of 4,600 years and an urban history of over 2,600 years, it is the birthplace of Longshan culture which is noted as one of the prehistoric Chinese cultures. It has long been and still is home to numerous dignitaries of varied trades throughout history. The ones that lived in or travelled to Jinan include but not limited to: Bian Que—a well-received doctor of the Warring States Period practicing traditional Chinese medicine, Fang Xuanling—a well-known politician of the Tang dynasty, well-acknowledged literary figures such as Li Bai and Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty, Li Qingzhao, Xin Qiji, Su Shi and Zeng Gong of the Song dynasty, as well as contemporary litterateur Lao She. In particular, Du Fu, dubbed as the Poet Sage, pays tributes to the city by praising Jinan as a magnet for men of fame in one of his poems which still enjoys popularity after over 1,000 years.

Jinan is a city of charm featuring remarkable landscapes. It boasts an integration of mountains, springs, lakes, rivers and the city. With a worldwide reputation as the City of Springs, it takes pride in its 4 spring clusters at downtown namely Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, Pearl Spring and Five Dragon Pond. With the company of famed mountains including Qianfo Mountain, Queshan Mountain, Huashan Mountain, etc., and the springs-converging Daming Lake, the Yellow River and the Xiaoqing River meander through the city, whose old town, now known as the Mingfu City, traces back to the year of 1371. The portrayal of Jinan highlights ubiquitous lotus flowers and willow trees, together with mountainous sights and in-city spring-water lake.

Jinan is a city of connectivity featuring desirable location. As a major connection city between the metropolitan areas of Beijing and Shanghai, Jinan is recognized as an important comprehensive transportation hub in China. Its cross-and-saltire shaped high-speed railway network extends with acceleration in an all-round way, connecting Jinan with nearly 300 cities nationwide. As one of the most important gateways of China, Jinan airport is proud of its 204 air routes reaching 114 domestic and international cities. China-Europe Freight Trains and China-Central Asia Freight Trains now run on a regular basis, justifying Jinan’s reputation as one of the most important freight transport hubs in China and the rendezvous for all freight trains from the province to Europe and the rest of Asia. Jinan is the first city in modern China to open to foreign businesses. It is the cradle of the world’s very first trademark—“medicine-pounding white rabbit”, and the world’s very first chain business operation—Refosian. Abundant in the varieties of produces, Jinan boasts such local specialties as Colla Corii Asini of Pingyin, Chinese onion of Zhangqiu, Longshan millet, Shandong-style embroidery, black pottery, clay-sculptured rabbit king, etc.

Jinan is a city of innovation featuring thriving industries. Priorities are given to 10 industrial clusters of 100 billion RMB scale each such as new generation of information technology, high-end equipment, medical and health care, biopharmaceuticals, quantum technology, etc. Multiple national-level launchpads such as China International ICT Innovation Cluster, National Supercomputing Center in Jinan and so forth are established. The build-up of such inclusive platforms as the Pilot Zone for Transformation of Growth Drivers, Jinan International Medical Sciences Center, Central Business District, etc picks up pace. The market occupancy ratio of servers manufactured by Inspur Group remains top 3 worldwide. Next-generation prototype Sunway E-class supercomputing system makes its debut in National Supercomputing Center in Jinan. The world’s very first driver less electric truck manufactured by Sinotruk Group meets the market. The loop-shape stainless steel piece with 16 meters in diameter produced by Iraeta Heavy Industry breaks the world record of its kind.