Jinan sits over a network of natural artesian springs — Baotu Spring, inside its own park in the city center, is the most famous, and the springs are a genuine part of the city's identity rather than a minor curiosity.
A couple of hours from Jinan by rail, Qufu holds the Confucius Temple, Cemetery, and Mansion — together a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the historical center of Confucian tradition in China. A significant detour for anyone with an interest in the philosophy's roots.
In Shandong I stayed with Song Shan — a friend from VIT I'd come to think of as my Chinese sister — and her family. Her aunts came over, and we had a genuinely joyful time: restaurant meals heavy with seafood and wine, a little shopping, and wandering through the malls and a local Chinese bazaar. When it was time to go, she saw me off at the railway station for the train back to Zhengzhou.
Song Shan and I met at VIT University; in Shandong she welcomed me into her family home like a brother. Her aunts visited, we shared long seafood dinners, and she saw me off at the station herself. Family, far from home.