Laiwu

Laiwu (莱芜 Láiwú) is a district of Jinan in Shandong Province. A former prefecture-level city, it comprises a distinct urban area on the Wen River (汶河), to the southeast of the central Jinan regions. It is a center of industry, with a population of approximately 1.37 million. Some Chinese regard it as one of the most beautiful and the most suitable for living of industry-based urban areas.

For the purposes of this article, two districts of Jinan are covered together: Laiwu District and Gangcheng District (formerly a district of Laiwu, while it had the city status).

History
The history of Laiwu goes back to the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时代 chūnqiū shídài), 771 to 403 BCE, when it was the capital of the ancient Mou State (牟国). It is sometimes called "Yingmou" (赢牟) because of that, and has the nickname "Phoenix City" (凤城) because of some magic old stories.

Since the 1960s, Laiwu has been an important center of China's steel industry. A prefecture-level city of its own for some time, with two districts (Laicheng District, now Laiwu District, and Gangcheng District), in 2019 it was merged into Jinan, the capital of Shandong province.

Climate
Laiwu has a warm temperate semi-humid monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons.

By train
Trains from major cities not too far away include:
 * Taishan &mdash; No high-speed trains. One normal train, 7053, 1.5 hours, normal seat ¥3.
 * Zibo &mdash; No high-speed trains. One normal train, 7054, about 4 hours, normal seat ¥8.5.

By bus
If you are travelling from within Shandong Province, going by bus is probably the easiest way. Especially now with the new excellent and fast expressways linking Laiwu with the provincial metropolitan areas. There are several buses per day from the central districts of Jinan, as well as from Tai'an, Qufu, as well as Qingdao and Rizhao on the coast.

By car
Laiwu is a very important transportation hub in Shandong Province. Several new expressways connect Laiwu.


 * Jinghu Expressway (G2京沪高速) Beijing—Shanghai
 * Qinglan Expressway (G22青兰高速) Qingdao—Lanzhou
 * Laitai Expressway (S26莱泰高速) Laiwu—Tai'an
 * Bintai Expressway (S29滨台高速) Binzhou—Taierzhuang

By bus
The bus fare is ¥1, and the air-conditioned bus fare is ¥2. Buses starting with K have air conditioning. Buses starting with K20 is a long-distance bus with a fare of ¥3. It usually comes from or goes to the suburb (it may be far away). The voice broadcast at the bus stop or on the bus usually is not provided in English.

By taxi
Taxi drivers usually don't speak English, and they usually can't read English maps or your destination. Therefore, in order to ensure your arrival at the destination, please make sure that you write it in Chinese, or use the mobile app to take a taxi. The fare starts from ¥7. It is difficult to take a taxi after 21:00 or in a remote place. If you can speak Chinese, you can call the taxi company (+86 0531 667788). If you can't speak Chinese, you can call a taxi by using the mobile phone application.

Public bicycle
Laiwu has 70 public bicycle stations, with 2100 bicycles. You can borrow and ride free of charge within one hour with your card. When it is almost one hour, you can find a public bicycle station nearby to swipe your card and change your car, and you can enjoy another free bicycle for one hour. If you hold a bicycle IC card from other cities in Shandong Province, you can also use it in Laiwu.

See
It's usual for tourists who travel to Laiwu to focus on the downtown district area. Those who stay longer might spend time in the Xueye Tourist Area, with its distinct attractions, such as culinary specialties, beautiful scenery, and the aviation sports center. Of course, for those who come in winter, there is also a good ski resort.

Natural scenic area






Buy
There is no large mall in Laiwu. Tourists can have activities near the municipal government. There is a business district that integrates the shopping center of Laiwu.



Drink
There are few bars and nightclubs in the western sense in Laiwu. Most of the alcohol is drunk at dinner, or beer is also served at the street barbecue at night, such as Luzhong Food City. In the east of Qingcaohe, you can find many Chinese teahouses, milk tea shops and more and more coffee shops to find good drinks.

Sleep
If you are not a Chinese, there are not many hotels for you to choose from, but they are almost all in Laiwu District and Xueye Tourist Area, which are generally places for tourists to visit.

Go next

 * Tai'an
 * Zibo