Jǐ’nán History

History

The area has been inhabited for at least 4000 years, and some of the earliest reminders of this are the eggshell-thin pieces of black pottery unearthed in Lóngshān, 30km east of Jǐ’nán. These provide the first link in an unbroken chain of tradition and artistic endeavour that culminated in the beautifully crafted ceramics of later dynasties.

Modern development in Jǐ’nán stems from 1899, when construction of the Jǐ’nán–Qīngdǎo railway line began. When completed in 1904, the line gave the city a major communications role. The Germans had a concession near the train station after Jǐ’nán was opened to foreign trade in 1906, and crumbling residences from the era survive. The fine, huge German building on Jing Yilu across the way from the Shandong Hotel is the Jǐ’nán railway department; it’s made of the same stone, and in the same style, as much of the architecture in Qīngdǎo.