2024 Self-driving Tour in Jiangsu, Shandong and Henan (VIII): A Glimpse of the City of Springs.

On the way down Mount Tai to Yantai, we stayed in Jinan for one night. We still had half a day to take a quick tour, including visiting Baotu Spring, Daming Lake and Grand View Garden, and tasting authentic Shandong cuisine. Although the north is short of water, Jinan is known as the "Water City" and the "Spring City", and it is said to have seventy-two famous springs. Baotu Spring is located in the center of Jinan city, with Thousand Buddha Mountain to the south, Spring City Square to the east and Daming Lake to the north. It ranks first among the 72 famous springs in Jinan and is known as "the best spring in the world". It is the symbol and landmark of Jinan, the City of Springs, and is known as one of the three major scenic spots in Jinan together with Thousand Buddha Mountain and Daming Lake. The spring water is divided into three streams, gushing out day and night. The so-called "Bao Tu" means jumping and rushing, reflecting the characteristics of the three orifices of Baotu Spring bursting and gushing endlessly. At the same time, "Bao Tu" is used to imitate the "boo du" sound when the spring water gushes, which is absolutely wonderful. When Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty traveled to the south, he visited Baotu Spring and was so excited that he wrote the two big words "Jituan" (turbulent) on it and named it "the best spring in the world." Some of my companions questioned the height of the spring water and thought there must be a water pipe buried underground. They could only smile. Little did people know that the original spring water could spray "two or three feet high", "rising up and leaping, like three pillars standing in a tripod, competing for height, and refusing to be inferior to each other. Now, because the groundwater level is not high, the spring can only spray a few dozen centimeters. Normally, when I see the Pearl Spring and the bubbling water, I get very excited. Compared with Baotu, there is a world of difference. At Shuyuquan, we visited the memorial hall of Li Qingzhao, the greatest talented woman of all time. Guo Moruo inscribed the poem "Passed down through the ages", and there is a white marble statue of Li Qingzhao in the hall. There are also the Memorial Hall of painting master Li Kuchan and the Memorial Hall of famous painter Wang Xuetao in the park. Due to limited time, I could only have a quick tour, which is a pity. Walk north for less than a quarter of an hour and you will arrive at Daming Lake, one of the three major scenic spots in Jinan. Daming Lake has a long history. Its name originated from the Water Classic by Li Daoyuan in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The book records that "Luoshui flows north to become Daming Lake, Daming Temple is to the west, and there are lakes on the east and west sides." Marco Polo wrote in his Travels in China: "The gardens are beautiful and pleasing to the eyes, and the scenery of lakes and mountains is overwhelming." Daming Lake is formed by the confluence of many springs. It flows out of Xiaoqing River and into Bohai Sea. It has the characteristics of "not rising even in heavy rains and not drying up even in long droughts". Most tourists who visit Daming Lake will be attracted by the "Daming Lake" plaque, and I am no exception. The reason is why the character "Ming" in Daming Lake has an extra horizontal line? There is a team next to us, and the tour guide is explaining: One reason is that in ancient times, the water of Baotu Spring was several feet high, and the stele was washed down several times. So in the Ming Dynasty, Jinan Prefecture asked Shandong Governor Hu Jinzong to write and erect the stele. On the Dragon Boat Festival, the prefectural officials erected a stone tablet engraved with "Baotu Spring" at the source of Baotu Spring. However, it was soon discovered that the two dots on the character "突" were washed away by the surging spring water, and it was said that they were washed into Daming Lake, and one of the dots remained on "明". Second, the three characters "Daming Lake" were copied from the Daming Lake Stele in the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. The "目月" composed of "明" is a calligraphy style. In the art of calligraphy, strokes are often added or subtracted for the sake of balance or beauty of the font structure. The third theory is that calligraphers in the Qing Dynasty wrote an extra stroke in order to avoid the "Ming" of the Ming Dynasty. Such explanations add a lot of fun to the tour. Entering the park, you will see pavilions, towers, winding paths and corridors, as well as calligraphy by literati. Among them, the couplet "lotus flowers on four sides, willows on three sides, mountains in one city and lakes in half of the city" is particularly praised by people. The pavilions and corridors along the lake are well-proportioned, with willows dipping in the water and lotus flowers swaying in the wind. There are Jiaxuan Temple, Xia Garden, Minghu Residence, Qiuliu Garden, Nanfeng Temple, Zhanggong Temple, Huibo Tower, Beiji Pavilion, Tiegong Temple, Xiaocanglang, and in the lake there are Lixia Pavilion, Huiquan Hall and other famous places of interest. The Grand View Garden was built in 1931 and has a history of more than 90 years. It is ancient and popular, and is another distinctive tourist attraction after the "three major scenic spots in Jinan", namely Baotu Spring, Daming Lake and Thousand Buddha Mountain. In the past, many old people in Jinan liked the "worldly atmosphere" of the Grand View Garden. Now, many young people of the new generation like its "worldly fragrance". Shandong cuisine is one of the four major traditional Chinese cuisines and the first of the eight major cuisines. "Sweet and Sour Crucian Carp" is a traditional specialty of Jinan, Shandong. The Yellow River crucian carp in Jinan is not only plump and delicious, but also has golden scales and red tails, and is adorable in appearance. It is definitely worth tasting [ThumbsUp] Jinan, Shandong