Jinan's identity is built on water — the dozens of artesian springs that bubble up through its limestone bedrock give the city a character unlike any other Chinese provincial capital. The spring parks, Daming Lake, and Qianfo Mountain form the three-tier geography that organises a visit. Beyond the water, Jinan has strong collections of prehistoric pottery and Buddhist rock carvings, a modest German colonial quarter, and the kind of dense, cheap food culture that a city of this scale does well.