The Hometown of Confucius and Mencius, the Capital of Canals | Discovering Jining, Shandong

【Strolling through Qilu·The Hometown of Confucius and Mencius, the Capital of Canals】This is the birthplace of Confucius, Mencius, and Yan Hui; it is where the poetic immortal Li Bai spent the longest time of his life; it is a region through which the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou flows; this is the small city in southwest Shandong—Jining. The Chongjue Temple Iron Pagoda from the Northern Song Dynasty is over 900 years old and is one of the four great iron pagodas still existing in the country, with the exquisite Shengyuan Tower beside it. Nestled in a small alley built during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, the 'Cixiao Jianwan Archway' features high-relief carving, a royal decree construction, meticulously sculpted. The Dongda Temple by the ancient canal is the most striking ancient building in the downtown area of Jining, originally built during the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, grand in scale and spectacular in sight, with the warm afternoon sun shining on the colorful glazed tiles, dazzlingly brilliant. In front of the Taibai Tower, the poetic immortal holding a wine cup still possesses the bold and unconstrained spirit of 'composing a hundred poems over a jug of wine'! When leaving Jining, passing through several streets lined with lush, vibrant Chinese parasol trees, it was a sight full of life and vigor!