Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The 2011 shows that 6.81 million inhabitants live in the Jinan City jurisdiction, with about 3.25 million living in urban areas.

The city plays an important role in China’s administrative and economic sectors, being seen as one of China’s 40 excellent cities in terms of investment environment and one of China’s top 50 cities in terms of comprehensive economic capacity. Jinan carries the nickname City of Springs due to an abundance of artesian wells within the city limits, flowing North towards Daming Lake and then onwards to the Yellow River.