Jinan (simplified Chinese: 济南; traditional Chinese: 濟南; pinyin: Jǐnán; in some literatures the pinyin without tones is given as Ji'nan, to disambiguate from a possible misreading as Jin an) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located in western Shandong, it borders Liaocheng to the southwest, Dezhou to the northwest, Binzhou to the northeast, Zibo to the east, Laiwu to the southeast and Tai'an to the south.