Jinan: The "City of Springs" in China Has a Storied History

Today, Jinan is a bustling city in Northeastern China with a population of 5.9 million people. However, its history goes way back to the beginning of Chinese civilization.

The area has been inhabited more than 4,000 years by the Neolithic Longshan Culture, the remains of which were discovered east of the city in the 1920s. The site is famous of its intricate pieces of pottery, including the delicate black "egg-shell pottery" than can be less than 1 millimeter thick.

For a long time, Jinan was divided between two different states-the state of Lu and the state of Qi-during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 B.C.-481 B.C.) and the Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.). Parts of the Great Wall of Qi can still be seen in parts of the city as open-air museums.

Today, Jinan is home to a dozen universities and colleges, but the city and surrounding region has long been a home of scholars and thinkers. Li Qingzhao, the most famous female poet in Chinese history, and Xin Qiji, another poet and military leader, were both born in Jinan during the Song Dynasty (960 A.D.-1279 A.D.). Zou Yan, who developed the commonly known concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, was a native of Zhangqiu City, a small city adjacent to Jinan.

When the Ming Dynasty established the Shandong Province, Jinan was named the capital.

The modernization of the city began in 1852, when a northward shift of the Yellow River connected Jinan to the Grand Canal and other parts in the north of the province.

Further change came in 1897 when the Qing Dynasty gave up Qingdao to Germany. A German concession area was placed in Jinan, and Germans built the Jiaoji (Qingdao-Jinan) railway against the protests of local people. This helped fuel the discontent that led to the Boxer Rebellion in 1899. After the rebellion was put down, the Jiaoji railway was completed in 1904, and the city was opened to foreign trade.

Jinan soon developed into a major hub for agricultural trade, as well as a big industrial center.

Following World War One, Japan took over the sphere of influence in Jinan and established a significant colony in the city. They remained in control until after the Second World War, when the Kuomintang regained control of the city for a short while. The Communist forces gained Jinan in September 1948.

Today, the city remains important politically, economically, and culturally. Known as the "City of Springs," it draws visitors with its beautiful bubbling springs and weeping willows.

Source: Spiritus Temporis article