Chinese Name: 济宁市 (jǐ níng shì)



Jining, known as the Hometown of Confucius and Capital of Grand Canal, is an important industrial and cultural center lying in the southwest of Shandong Province. The total population, Han mainly, is 8.31 million with a total size of 11,000 square kilometers.

Jining, which is located right to the north of the Lake Nanyang (Chinese: 南阳湖; pinyin: NányángHú), is today the northernmost city reachable by navigation on the Grand Canal of China. The city is served by Jining Airport.

 
Qufu is the Hometown of Confucius, philosopher & 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 Cityand 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 include 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.