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| Jinan, Capital of Shandong, China "A City of Springs" |
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| Black Tiger Spring, Jinan, China |
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| Kouhouli, Jinan, Shandong, China |
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| Spring City Square by Night Jinan, Shandong, China |
Day 14 Sunday April 26 2026 (Taishan, Tai'an & Jinan, Shandong) - saying bye bye to Mt Taishan & our next city is Jinan, the capital of Shandong for our final night stay thus ending my 16 days free & easy visit to Shandong, China ! Upon arrival in Jinan, we made use of the available time (early afternoon) & visited Black Tiger Spring & in the evening visited Kouhouli & the Spring City Square to get a feel of hustle & bustle of the night life in Jinan !
1) Tai'an Railway Station, Shandong - after the Mt Taishan visit & a 2 nights stay, we departed Taishan from Tai'an Railway station at 09.13 by HS train to Jinan, the capital of Shandong for our final night stay before flying home to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2) Jinan Railway Station - a short 16 minutes high speed train ride from Tai'an > Jinan !
3) Hotel Accommodation (Jinan, Shandong) - my group's one night stay in Minghu Quanying Hotel, Jinan, room tariff Rm116 = US$29 (2 single beds + breakfast), late hotel check out at 14.00, free flow of warm herbal drink from dispensers, our Shandong Airlines flight ETD 20.45 so we have an almost 1.5 day to visit a few of the tourist attractions in Jinan city by day & night (using a tourist brochure as a guide I picked up from the hotel reception counter)
4) Lunch in a local restaurant after the hotel check-in - savoured a bowl of beef noodle soup (CNY18) + wan tan soup (CNY12), this gave me some energy to roam a few of the tourist attractions in the city centre of Jinan ! My travel buddy opted for a claypot chicken & braised bean curds, yummy yummy taste !
5) Jinan, Shandong, China - Jinan is the capital of Shandong Province & is renowned as the "City of Springs" for its over 700 natural springs of which 72 are labelled as iconic springs, most visited by tourists, the city's unique geology creates popular, crystal clear attractions like the "No 1 Spring Under Heaven", "Baotu Spring & the scenic "Black Tiger Spring". Hence when you land in Jinan, just leave behind your footprints in a few of the iconic springs in this capital city of Shandong !
5) Black Tiger Spring, Five Lotus Spring, Jinhu Spring, Yinsi Spring, Pipa Spring, Jiunv Spring etc Jinan, Shandong - after the hotel check-in & a short rest, we took a Didi from our hotel to visit a few of the famous iconic spring in Jinan ie Black Tiger Spring together with a few springs in the area, I had a touch of the spring water in the scenic area, it was crystal clear & cool, locals brought along empty plastic bottles & containers & fill them up with the spring water from the pond or paid via a QR code to buy the spring water from the tap !
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7) Kouhouli, Jinan, Shandong - - located in the Lixia District, the core area in Jinan, a historical site where the history & modernity blend together, preserving the old architecture & folk cultures in Jinan, a great place for foodies sampling a range of local cuisine & traditional food, very lively at night ! Slight drizzling at the time of my visit !
9) A popular restaurant near Kouhouli specialised in making traditional old Jinan braised pork leg.
10) Fish noodle dinner (CNY22 = Rm13.20 = US$3.30) in a local restaurant, Kouhouli, Jinan.
11) A Jinan Clan Association, Shandong - an old ancient building & a Chinese talk show in action (pay to enter) !
12) Up market shopping malls / hotels & the surrounding in Jinan CBD area
13) Spring City Square (Quancheng Guang Chang) & the surrounding by Night, Jinan, Shandong - scenic cityscape & a cool & lively place for an evening stroll !
15) Square dancing or Line dance in Spring City Square, Jinan, Shandong - very entertaining to watch seeing locals (dancing aunties & uncles) doing the line dance or commonly called "square dancing" with the music on ! It was a Sunday weekend when I showed up in the Square, each of the dancing aunties & uncles showing their skills resemble that of John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever dancing or Xinjiang style ! Easy going, lot of fun & full of energy as they indulged in this social activity ! What a memorable day & night for me & my travel buddies on our first day in Jinan, Shandong !
