Chinese Name: 济宁市 (jǐ níng shì)

Population: 8,110,000  

Area: 10,685 square kilometers (4,126 square miles) 

Nationalities: Han 

Administrative Division: 2 districts (Shizhong, Renzheng); 7 counties (Weishan, Yutai, Jinxiang, Jiaxiang, Wenshang, Sishui, Liangshan); 3 county-level cities (Qufu, Yongzhou, Zoucheng) 

Seat of the City Government: 19, Hongxing Lu, Shizhong District, Jining City 

Useful Telephone Numbers: Tourist Complaints: 0537-2235006
                                          Tourist Inquiries: 0537-2176316, 2222409
                                          Weather Forecast: 121
                                          Zip Code Inquiry: 184

Bank of China Jining Branch: 95, Guangxiang Lu, Shizhong District, Jining City
 
China Post Jining Branch: 57, Taibai Lu, Shizhong District, Jining City

Location: Jining 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 City. Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province lies south of the city, and it is separated by the Yellow River from Liaocheng City in the northwest corner. Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province, is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Jining.    

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: Jining 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 Jining slopes downwards from east to west.   

Climate: Bearing a warm temperate monsoon climate, Jining has abundant solar energy. Summer is hot and gathers much rainfall, while most days in winter are clear and chilly. The annual average temperature ranges from 13.3℃ to 14.1℃ (55.9℉ to 57.4℉).   

When to Go: during spring, summer and autumn 

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

 Attractions: 
Qufu: 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 Jining, while the three sites—Temple, Cemetery and Mansion--are the must-see destinations when traveling to Qufu.

Other Famous Scenic Spots:
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.

Travel Tips:
1. Jining Airport lies in Zhifang Town, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Jiaxiang County and 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) east of downtown Jining. At present, it has regular flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Qingdao, but the number of those flights is quite few. Visitors usually travel to Jinan first and go to Jining by bus or by train. 

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 radiate from Jining and 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.