Jinan was one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Cultural relics representing the Xihe Culture (7,300-8,400 years ago), especially pottery, have been discovered in the city. Chengzi Cliff in the eastern suburbs has yielded traces of the Longshan Culture of the late New Stone Age (4,000-4,600 years ago), marked by distinctive black pottery. about 200,000 sq.m of the remains of a settlement indicate that Jinan has a history of over 4,000 years.
 
Jinan has a large number of cultural relics and historical sites, such as the cultural relics of the Shun Culture, including Mount Shungeng, the Shun Well, the Eying River and the Shun Temple; the part of the great wall built by the State of Qi (in the third century B.C), which was built before the famous Great Wall constructed in the Qin Dynasty; the Stone Shrine at the Guo Family Mausoleum (built during the Han Dynasty in the first century B.C) on Xiaotang Hill--the oldest surviving surface edifice in China; the Four-Door Pagoda at Liubu, dating from the Sui Dynasty (581-618)--the oldest stone pagoda in China; and the colored art sculptures of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in the Lingyan Temple, known as the "foremost sculptures in China."
 
Jinan has produced many celebrities in Chinese history, such as Bian Que, the founder of traditional Chinese medicine, Master Zou Yan, the founder of the yin and yang five-element school (metal, wood, water, fire and earth, used in traditional Chinese medicine to explain various physiological and pathological phenomena), Fang Xuanling and Qin Qiong, founders of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Li Qingzhao, Xin Qiji, Zhang Yanghao, Li Kaixian and other noted Chinese writers, Zhou Yongnian, the founder of China's public libraries, and Wei Xiang, a leading architect. In addition, many outstanding writers and poets, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi and Zeng Gong, once lived in or visited Jinan. Hence it is also called the "city of celebrities."

While carrying forward the old cultural traditions, Jinan's modern culture is developing vigorously. In recent years, Jinan's cultural exchanges with the outside world have made great progress. The city's acrobatic troupes and other art ensembles have visited more than 30 countries and regions, and foreign art troupes come here to give performances every year. The item "kicking the wooden bench" executed by the Jinan City Acrobatic Troupe won gold medals at the London 11th World Acrobatic Championships and the Pairs 10th World "Tomorrow" Acrobatic and Circus Festival.