More Jinan Delights

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I think I need to be on the payroll for tourism Shandong and Jinan as today I stumbled across some more things to see and do in Jinan.



Wednesday is my easy day, teaching from 8-30am to 10-15am, so with the one hour bus to and from it makes for a nice 4.5 hour day. This compares very favourably to my Tuesday which is 8 periods of 45 mins teaching, that day starts at 7am when I catch the bus and 6-30pm when I finally stumble up the stairs to my apartment.



So after a quick vacuum and dust of the apartment, lunch and coffee and emails I was off to explore. I’m not that house proud but there is always a fine layer of dust settling on everything here, the air is gritty, your skin feels gritty, there is so much construction work happening that dust is a constant.



Today’s adventure was to find the Muslim quarter. Jinan has quite a large Muslim population, you see many Muslim food outlets, look for the Arabic writing and the men will wear a small white skull hat and some of the women are wearing head covering.

My university has quite a few girls wearing head wear and there is a special food window in the canteen for these students where I presume the food is halal. Mainstream Han Chinese know very little about them and call them the minority people.



I had heard that the Muslim quarter was in the west of Spring City Square so that is where I headed.



The K91 bus arrived first on Ji Shan Lu so I took this south to the Black Tiger Spring stop.



At Black Tiger Springs is a memorial to the Chinese soldiers who died in the 1948 war with Japan. There is an excellent little museum at 2 levels all in Chinese but lots of pictures and you get the idea that a lot of people have died for their country.

Their names are all inscribed on the wall.

Great views of Jinan on all four sides of this memorial, views to the north along the moat (I have wrongly called it the canal), to the East where there is a swimming pool and what looks like a sandy beach area of the moat, and to the west along to Baotu Springs and its big park.



Walking along the canal is always peaceful and very quiet, there some people but not the noisy throng on the streets. Walking west I picked up some street food, a big slice of rockmelon freshly cut which is put on a stick, Y2 a piece.

I’m a little cautious with food on the street; I need to stay well to teach so am wary of things that will spoil in the midday heat and sun.



At the west end of Spring City Square is the Baotu Springs Park, there is an entrance fee, large park, the best area apparently to view the springs and other important aspects of Jinan and its history.

This road is where you find the tourist bus, double decker open top, Y12 for a trip around the most important sights but I think the commentary is all in Mandarin.



Back to Quan Cheng Street parallel with the moat and keep walking west past Walmart for a block, stay on the left, go past Baotu Springs, keep going and then turn left and south onto Chengding lane.



This is the Muslim area, which was very quiet mid-afternoon but looks like it will hum at lunch and dinner time.

There are so many outdoor eating areas, restaurants, butchers at work, lamb carcasses being hacked up, shops selling hijab.



Wearing long shirt and pants is my norm in Muslim areas out of respect but many Chinese girls were walking through in tight revealing clothing and there seemed to be no issue.



Had one of those Westerner moments in that area when a man wearing sunglasses passed me on a little motorbike. Most Chinese do not wear sunglasses and I was debating if he was non-Chinese. Now I look very obvious, blond and very non-Chinese looking. So next thing this guy pulls alongside of me, takes off his sunnies and greets me in a US accent.



He has worked in Jinan for 18 months, has a business here and wondered if I was Muslim, being in that area. So we chatted for a while, was a nice encounter.



Another Walmart stop before home, more wine! Have tried quite a few Chinese reds, quite nice, they have got better since I was here in 2008, prices vary from Y12 to Y200 for both local and imported. Bought Spanish wine today for Y19- which is Aus$4 a bottle.



Note to self when you catch the number 3 bus home look for just the number 3 and no other characters beside it. Caught an express number 3!

Ended up one stop further up the road than normal, much to the amusement of my fellow bus passengers when my pantomime performance of “me expecting to get off this stop, there’s my uni flying past the window, wonder where we are stopping”.



One lady was very helpful in miming and telling me that it was just over the intersection, don’t worry, and helped me on with my backpack.

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Photos

Me
Some lovely lady was very obliging when i mimed would she take my photo.

Beach area of the canal
i wonder if they fill this with water in the summer?

Dove house
West end of Spring City Square

Sparrows there too
People must bring food for the doves and the sparrows were picking up the left overs

Spring City Square
Yet again another very obliging person took this of me, she spoke some English and was happy to try it out

Fishing in the moat
Have only seen tiny fish, the water is clean due to the springs

Comments

[Paul Staples]

Eisteddfod
Rosemary, Please do not miss the Eisteddfod, with all its quirks and shenenigans{?} Tonight I had the most frustrating chairing session! Your blog is just brilliant, I am looking forward to each new entry to gauge the cultural shock of Chinese living. I understand the language hurdle well from Spain, but cannot imagine coping with a new alphabet entirely. You are so brave! Hang in there! Cheers Paul

[rosy59]

Am hanging in and life is getting easier, and even has its real pleasureable moments now.