Jinan, My Hometown

Jinan is my hometown. It is the capital city of Shandong province and is located south of Mount Tai, with the Yellow River and the Xiaoqing River being the two main waterways. There are many people living in this modern and civilized city, and you cannot help but feel the vibrancy and prosperity of the city. Jinan is a prosperous and historic city, it is famous for its springs, especially the ‘First Spring’, which is why it is also known as the ‘City of Springs’.(pg.1Jinan China’s map by Baruch Boxer)

Jinan is a historic city with a history of some 2,000 years and is famous for its many cultural relics. It is the cradle of the relic culture of Longshan, known as China’s prehistoric culture, and is found in the town of Longshan in Jinan, hence its name. In the Jinan area you will find far more than you would expect, the ancient Great Wall of Qi (a state of the Zhou Dynasty (770BC – 221BC)), the painted sculptures of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) at Lingyan Temple and much more.
Jinan is the home of Lu Cuisine (Shandong cuisine), a popular Chinese delicacy. Lu cuisine, also known as Qilu cuisine, originated in Linzi and Qufu, the ancient capitals of the states of Qi and Lu respectively. It has traces of courtly cuisine. Due to the long duration of cold weather and the shortage of vegetables in northern China, Shandong cooks excelled in preparing high-calorie, high-protein dishes. It is customary for cooks to spoon a pot of seasoned soup (made from old hen and pork knuckles), a tradition in Lu cuisine. Lu cuisine cooks are also good at making milk soups. Jinan is famous for its vegetable milk soup.(pg.2.3 Daming Lake and Baotu spring  by Baidu)

Jinan, the city of springs, is popular with tourists for its many springs. Jinan is a hospitable city, receiving visitors from all over the world. Marco Polo once visited Jinan and left words of praise for the city. Baotu, Daming Lake and Qianfo Mountain decorate Jinan as a garden city. Compared to these provincial capitals or other large and medium-sized cities in China, Jinan has few advantages and lacks a cosmopolitan atmosphere, the highlight being its many springs. It has been said that the charm of Jinan lies not only in its alluring natural beauty, but also in the warmth of its people. The beauty of nature is thin and faint, but the beauty that comes from people will always be there.(pg.4 Lu cuisine by Baidu )

My hometown is very beautiful and lovely, you can see flowers and trees everywhere. When you walk on the street, you can feel the gentle wind caressing your face. These beautiful things are very attractive to me. I like to draw these things and keep them in my mind, so I really like art. I usually like to go to the spring park during the summer holidays to paint the spring. Some rivers, there is a big river in the park and the water is so clear that we can see the bottom of the river. When my friends and I go fishing we usually talk to other people who go fishing, even though we don’t know who they are, so when I was growing up, I liked talking to people even though I didn’t know them, and I was very active. Especially when I was sitting on a rock by the river with a spring, I felt that the whole world was very quiet and beautiful, and that was me.
Sometimes it is very quiet, sometimes it is very active, and I love the beautiful seasonal changes of the city. I love the colorful flowers in spring, I love the flowing river in summer, I also love the red leaves in autumn and the heavy snow in winter, I love my hometown. I love my hometown more than its beautiful surroundings and kind people, and we are working hard to make it even richer and more beautiful.