Culture and History

Jinan is an ancient city and enjoys cultural fame in China. According to some archaeology discoveries, human activities began to appear 8000 years ago. In 1928， archaeologist Wu, Jinding found the relics of Shandong Longshan Civilization and remnant of the ancient state which was over 4600 years old. Jinan the capital of Qi dynasty during Chunqiu era, and it also played a vital role during other eras of Chinese history.

Jinan is a place that nourishes great people history. The famous and outstanding woman poet, LI Qingzhao, lived by Baotu Spring—the “Number One Spring in the World”. XIN Qiji, another famous poet and patriotic general, also lived in Jinan. XIN Qiji and LI Qingzhao both lived in Song Dynasty, and represented different styles.

Other famous figures people are familiar with are Confucius and Mengzi. Although they were not exactly raised up in Jinan, their home towns are both not far from it and they were active in the Jinan for their political purposes.
Tian Shun was also from Jinan. Tian Shun was one of the leaders in early Chinese Civilization who lived thousands of years ago. There are lots of famous stories about him, among them was the how he built up dykes to prevent floods of the Yellow River. His temples can be found on the Qianfo Mountain, or the “Thousand-Monks Mountain”.

Bianque, the famous doctor lived in Zhanguo Era. This industrious and intelligent man invented anesthetics and used his special techniques to cure thousands of people. His stories are known to almost every Chinese and can be found in Chinese textbooks.

Qin Qiong, the brave general of Tang Dynasty who was one of the founders of Tang. It is said he lived in Wulong Tan (or the “Five-dragons Spring”). He is loved by many Chinese people. Even the trees that he used to tie his horse were considered as “lucky trees”. People would touch them for they believe these trees can bring good luck.