<正>I have been to many cities across China. For sure, cities in the south are modern. But in my opinion they lack the depth. In the north, it’s just the opposite," said renowned scholar, author and commentator Yu Dan recently. But she also added: "Linyi in Shandong Province is an exception to this rule. It’s inherited the south’s modernity and the north’s sense of dignity." Linyi literally means "by the Yi River."