jining: where confucius meets my exhaustion

so, i'm in jining now. it's been a long day and i'm kind of tired. the weather here, well, i just checked and it's... 9.88 degrees celsius? there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. feels like the same, so no surprise. pressure is 1017, humidity 49. not too bad, but i'm not sure if it's going to change. anyway, let me show you where i am.

jining is in shandong province, and it's a pretty big place, about 11,000 square kilometers with 8.47 million people. it's at the northern end of the beijing-hangzhou grand canal, which is a big deal. they call it the "capital of the grand canal" because back in the yuan, ming, and qing dynasties, it had the top administration for the canal. crazy, right? 66 roads still have names from those old government offices. that's a lot of history.

i've been riding around the city and it's quite a mix. there are lakes, like nansi lake and weishan lake, which are the largest freshwater lakes in northern china. then there are plains and some hills. the climate is warm temperate with four seasons, but honestly, the transitions are short. it's hot and humid in summer, cold and dry in winter. right now it's spring? but it's only 10 degrees, so maybe not the best time to visit for warm weather.

someone told me that the grand canal through jining has this section in nanwang town that's the highest elevation and it's this arch-like course. i haven't seen it yet, but it sounds cool. also, the canal shipping capacity is 100 million tons annually. that's a lot of stuff moving through here.

if you get bored, jining is close to some major cities: beijing, tianjin, shanghai, nanjing, wuhan, qingdao, and xi'an. they're all within 500 km. that's crazy because that covers a lot of china's population, like 600 million people. so you can hop around easily. but honestly, jining has its own charm.

the big attractions are qufu, where confucius was born, and zoucheng, mencius' hometown. both are unesco sites. i visited qufu and it's... a lot of temples and mansions. very historical, but also very crowded with tourists. someone told me that the temples require modest dress, so i had to cover up a bit. not that i mind, but it's a heads up.

food here is interesting. jining is known for jinxiang garlic dishes and yutai rice. also, weishan lake fish. i tried some garlic everything and it was... strong. but good. they say it's a national base for grain, cotton, oil, and these products. the economy seems pretty active, but it's mostly agricultural. so if you come, expect a lot of farming and markets.

the population is 8.47 million, mostly in the urban areas like rencheng and yanzhou, and then the rural counties. the culture is rooted in confucian values, which makes sense because confucius and mencius are from here. they really emphasize family, education, and hard work. it's a mix of old traditions and modern stuff.

also, the city has been a key transport hub for ages. it's positioned at the "golden section" between beijing and shanghai, so it's a natural spot for moving goods and people. the high-speed rail is fast, but the airport also connects to major cities. i took the train from qufu to beijing and it was smooth, but i heard the airport is okay too. anyway, i'm tired and that's enough for today.

if you're thinking of visiting, the transport is good: high-speed rail to beijing (2 hours from qufu) and shanghai (3 hours), plus an airport. but the canal might have water issues sometimes, so check that. also, in the rural counties, it's less touristy than qufu and zoucheng.

so, that's jining. a city with a lot of history, good food, and a lot of people. if you like confucius, canals, and garlic, this is your place. as for me, i'm going to rest now. it's been a long day.

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