There is an ancient saying: There are lotus flowers on four sides and willow trees on three sides. One city is surrounded by mountains and half is surrounded by lakes. This describes Jinan. Jinan is located in the central and western part of Shandong Province and is the birthplace of Longshan Culture. As an ancient cultural city with a long history, it is also the mainstay of the Shandong Peninsula economy. Jinan is also known as "Spring City". Why is this? Let’s take a look at Jinan Culture.
Jinan has a long history and is the birthplace of the prehistoric culture "Longshan Culture". The Neolithic Age site in the area, Chengziya, includes the Great Wall of Qi that preceded the Great Wall of Qin, and is known as "the first famous sculpture in the country" The Lingyan Temple has colorful sculptures of Arhats from the Song Dynasty and the Giant Buddha from the Sui Dynasty (located in Dafo Village, Licheng District, carved out of the mountain and built in the Sui Dynasty, it is the largest Buddha in Shandong). The "Book of Songs", China's first poetry collection, contains the satirical poem "Dadong" written by Tan Ren, which is the earliest existing document about Jinan. In December 1986, it was announced as a national historical and cultural city.
The reason why Jinan has so many springs is because of its unique topography and geological structure. Jinan is located in the heart of Shandong Province. It is sandwiched between the low mountains and hills of central and southern Shandong and the alluvial plains of northwest Shandong. It is a gentle monocline structure with a height difference of more than 500 meters. The topography of the urban area naturally follows suit. The terrain is high in the south and low in the north, which is conducive to the collection of surface water and groundwater into the urban area.
Years ago, the State of Qi built a city here, and Jinan became the border fortress of the State of Qi at that time. Every house has spring water, and every house has weeping poplar trees. "It is surrounded by lotus flowers and three willow trees, and one city is full of mountains and half is a lake." We are talking about the Spring City "Jinan". This is a beautiful city famous for its numerous springs and beautiful scenery. There were originally hundreds of springs gushing in Jinan City, including the famous Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, Wulongtan and Pearl Spring. There are four major spring groups and 733 natural springs, which enjoy the reputation of "Seventy-two Famous Spring". Rare in cities at home and abroad, it is a unique natural karst spring water museum. In addition to the "Spring City", Jinan is also often called the "Spring Capital".
Jinan’s springs are not only numerous in number, but also come in various shapes. Some are gush-shaped, some are waterfall-shaped, and some are lake-shaped. Many clear and sweet springs come from underground in the city. Erupt and merge into rivers and lakes. During the flood season, in areas with dense springs, there is a beautiful scenery of "springs in every house, poplars hanging in every household" and "clear spring rocks flowing upstream". As early as the Song Dynasty, the writer Zeng Gong commented: "Qi'an has many sweet springs, which are the best in the world." Yu Qin, a geographer of the Yuan Dynasty, also praised: "Jinan's mountains and rivers are the best in Qilu, and its springs are the best in the world." Jinan's clear and sweet spring water is the best in the world. The blood of the city gives this city its elegant temperament and strong vitality. At the same time, Jinan's urban development, historical evolution, and folk customs are also closely related to spring water, forming a unique spring water culture.