Jinan, the capital of Shandong, is the "City of Springs" — several hundred natural springs rise from its limestone bed and thread through the downtown in lakes, pools and a moat that still rings the old city. Baotu Spring, Daming Lake and Thousand-Buddha Hill are the classic trio, and almost everything sits within one walkable loop. Most first-time visitors pass through on the way to Mount Tai and Qufu, but the springs deserve a slow day: teahouses on the water, willows over the lanes, and locals queuing with buckets at the public spouts.
