Jinan is the capital of Shandong and there are supposedly more than 100 natural springs in the city, which gave it the name "city of springs". The city lies between the Yellow River in the north and Mount Tai in the south. A busy industrial city, with over 3 million inhabitants, Jinan is a stepping stone to visiting other areas of Shandong province such as the beaches of Qingdao or the home of Confucius, Qufu. In Jinan, visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of the city’s parks, lakes and springs including the Jet Spring, Great Light Lake and Golden Ox Park, or walk up Thousand Buddha Hill and admire the many Buddhist statues carved into the niches of the mountain wall. The Shandong Provincial Museum is also worth visiting for its wealth of exhibits some of which date back to the Shang and Zhou eras (1766-770BC).