Jining Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 济宁 (jǐ níng)
Population: 8,356,000
Area: 11,187 square kilometers (4,319 square miles)
Location: in the southwest of Shandong Province, east China
Administrative Division: 2 districts (Shizhong, Renzheng); 7 counties (Weishan, Yutai, Jinxiang, Jiaxiang, Wenshang, Sishui, Liangshan); 2 county-level cities (Qufu, Zoucheng)
Area Code: 0537
Zip Code: 272000
GDP (2019): CNY 437.017 billion (USD 63.345 billion)  

The city lies in the southern part of Shandong Province, at the convergence of Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu and Anhui. It is bordered by the famous 'Peony Town', Heze. Xuzhou of Jiangsu Province lies south of Jining which is separated by the Yellow River from Liaocheng in the northwest corner. Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province, is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Jining.

Jining is also an important birthplace of Chinese civilization with many historical sites. Confucius, Mencius and other Chinese sages were born here and the Confucianism spread from here to around China. Today, you can still see the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Confucian Family Mansion. The Temple of Confucius has more than 460 ancient buildings from palaces, halls, terraces to pavilions arranged in a symmetrical structure. Many historical relics can be seen in the Family Mansion such as porcelains, ivory carvings, jade carvings and robes. In addition to the 2 highlights, the Beijing - Hangzhou Grand Canal, built more than 720 years ago, is still navigable in Jining with a shipping capacity of 100 million tons. The Canal shows wonderful scenery and leaves many cultural relics.

 Qufu: It is the hometown of Confucius, the greatest mind of far-reaching importance in Chinese history. The Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Confucian Family Mansion were listed in the World Heritage in 1994. Of these three sacred buildings, the Temple of Confucius, the representative classical architecture complex of Confucianism, is praised as the 'Number One Temple in China'. The Temple, along with the Forbidden City and Mountain Resort of Chengde, are China's three largest ancient building complexes. Qufu is the must-see place of the area, while the three sites—Temple, Cemetery and Mansion--are the must-see destinations when traveling to Qufu.

 Mencius Family Mansion and Mencius Temple: A time-honored and well-preserved ancient building complex for sacrificing Mencius and residence of his offspring that was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)

 Yishan Mountain: A mountain resort 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Zoucheng County with spectacular natural scenery and historical relics, especially featuring a granite pebbly landscape.

 Baoxiang Temple: A well-preserved Buddhist temple more than a thousand years old, where a great many holy Buddha relics were excavated in 1994; the annual Buddha Light Festival (Fo Guang Jie) is held in the temple.

1. Jining Airport lies in Zhifang Town, Jiaxiang County of Jining, 24 kilometers (15 miles) away from city . At present, it has opened the flights to Beijing, Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, Zhuhai, Xiamen, Chengdu, Changsha, Chongqing, Changchun … Visitors can take airport shuttle bus travel between airport and Jining City.

2. Jining south coach station (formerly Jining Coach Station) is located in Jianshe Nan Lu, while the north coach station is situated in the north suburb, adjacent to the No.327 National Highway. Bus routes opened here cover over 120 cities and counties of 10 provinces. 

3. From the Jinan Coach Terminal in Jiluo Lu, buses to Jining depart every 30 minutes and will reach the destination in about three hours. 

Bearing a warm temperate monsoon climate, the region has abundant solar energy. Summer is hot and gathers much rainfall, while most days in winter are clear and chilly. The annual average temperature of Jining weather ranges from 13.3C to 14.1C (55.9 F to 57.4 F). Spring, summer and autumn are best months for sightseeing. 

 History: Primitive villages were scattered around this region five or six thousand years ago. After the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), Rencheng County was established here. Jining, as the name of the administrative unit set up here, first appeared in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

 Physical Features: It belongs to the transitional area from low mountains and hills to plains. Generally, plain and bottomland constitute the main types of the city’s landform. Its eastern part is covered by mountains dotted with basins and valleys between them, and the whole terrain of the area slopes downwards from east to west.

 Local Highlights: Qufu International Confucius Cultural Festival (late September): 2007 Qufu International Confucius Cultural Festival was held September 20-28.

 Special Local Products: Kai wood carving and sweet paddy of Qufu City, Lu Brocade of Jiaxiang County, Nishan Inkstone