Yuquan Mountain

Yuquan Mountain

Destination Introduction

The Yuquan Spring in Beijing is located on Yuquan Mountain in the western suburbs, gushing forth from crevices in the rocks among the hills, with a pleasant murmuring sound. The descending spring water, shimmering under the bright sunlight, resembles a hanging rainbow. As early as the Ming Dynasty, it was listed as one of the “Eight Views of Yanjing.” During both the Ming and Qing dynasties, it served as the water source for the imperial court.

Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, in order to verify the quality of this water, ordered an eunuch to specially craft a silver measuring bucket to weigh samples of famous spring waters sent to the capital from all over the country. The result was: Beijing’s Yuquan Spring weighed one tael per silver bucket—the lightest; Jinan’s Pearl Spring weighed one tael and two qian; Zhenjiang’s Zhongzhi Spring weighed one tael and three qian; Wuxi’s Huishan Spring and Hangzhou’s Hupao Spring both weighed one tael and four qian. This confirmed that the standard Qianlong himself set for evaluating springs was based on the lightness of the water. Yuquan water had the least “impurities,” making it the clearest and of the highest quality—ideal for long-term consumption to prevent illness and promote longevity. Thus, by the “Rippling Silk Lake,” whose waters were described as “clear and azure, pure as jade,” he inscribed the imperial essay “Record of Yuquan Mountain, the Number One Spring Under Heaven”: “...

Therefore, among all the springs emerging from the mountains with crisp, fresh water, none surpasses the Yuquan Spring of the capital. Hence, it is named the Number One Spring Under Heaven.” The Yuquan Spring was officially named the “Number One Spring Under Heaven” by Emperor Qianlong, a renowned traveler and connoisseur of spring water.

At the foot of the mountain lies Jingming Garden, the site of the Yuan Dynasty’s imperial palace on Yuquan Mountain and the Jin Dynasty’s imperial palace at Furong Hall. It is said that Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin Dynasty once spent his summers here. Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty built Zhaohua Temple here, and during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, the Upper and Lower Huayan Pavilions were added. In the second year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1645), it was renovated and renamed Chengxin Garden. In the 19th year of the Kangxi reign (1680), many garden structures were added, and in the 31st year, it was renamed to its current name.

Location: Located at the Western Hills, Haidian District, Beijing

The garden originally had sixteen scenic spots, namely: Broad as the Heavens, Lotus in Bright Sunshine, Yuquan Gushing Forth, Bamboo Stove Mountain Hut, Sacred Land Comprehensive Painting, Embroidered Cliff Poetic Scene, Stream Field Farming Lesson, Cool Zen Cave, Fragrant Cloud Path, Gorge Snow Music, Jade Peak Pagoda Shadow, Wind-Heavy Clear Hearing, Mirror Reflection Vast Emptiness, Rippling Silk Lake Light, Distant Clouds Bell Sound, and Emerald Clouds Fine Shade.

During the Qianlong era, sixteen more scenic spots were added: Clear Sound Ribbon, Flourishing Abode Pavilion, Summit Peak Pavilion, Guanyin Cave, Appreciation Encounter Tower, Flying Cloud Eye, Ink-Testing Spring, Divided Mirror Curve, Writing Zither Corridor, Extended Green Hall, Plowing Clouds Pavilion, Arhat Cave, Suchness Room, Layered Bright Space, Pearl-Entering Spring, and Mind-Distant Pavilion. Most were destroyed in fires during invasions by the Anglo-French Allied Forces and the Eight-Nation Alliance.

The pavilions, towers, kiosks, halls, temples, and pagodas within Jingming Garden are built along the mountains, blending harmoniously among springs, valleys, cliffs, and forests—a successful example of garden design artistry. Today, the most famous scenic views include the Huazang Pagoda and Yuquan Pagoda on Miaogaofeng, Rippling Silk Lake, Huayan Cave, YuLong Cave, Xiangyan Temple, and Shengyuan Temple.

Take bus 330 or 904

District Scenic Spot Location

Western foothills of the Western Hills, Haidian District, Beijing, west of the Summer Palace