Jining, China

Jining, Shandong, China and Springfield, Illinois, USA have been sister cities since 2018. Over that time, city governments of both cities have traveled thousands of miles to visit and learn about each other's culture, history, and economy to build friendships and share ideas for collaboration. 

Jining is located in North-eastern China about 580 miles south of Beijing, China. It is a mere 2.5-hour bullet train ride away from China's capital. Jining is a coal-mining city with a variety of industries, and it is mainly known for being the hometown of the great Chinese Philosopher, Confucius (Kong Zi).