Cui Quan

Cui Quan

Absolute location: 34°08′N, 117°12′E

Relative location: 1.5 km east of Sanbao Town

Cui Quan is located 1.5 km east of Sanbao Town, at the eastern foot of Nü’e Mountain, within the area of Maocaozhuang. From 1970 to 1972, the local commune organized hundreds of laborers on two occasions to excavate and renovate the site. At a depth of five meters, two large characters measuring 50 centimeters each—“Cui Quan”—were discovered carved into the stone wall of the spring mountain. A total of over 15,000 cubic meters of earth and stone were excavated, covering an area of more than 5,000 square meters. A perimeter wall and a stone slope protection were also built around the site, along with a water-lifting station.

Legend has it that long, long ago, a peddler surnamed Cui saved a young snake that had been injured by children. He carried the snake with him as he traveled from village to village, using the money he earned to buy food for it. After several years, the snake had grown large, and Cui could no longer carry it. He released it under an arched stone bridge south of Sanbao. The snake made its home there and preyed on many arrogant merchants, local ruffians, and tyrants who passed by. Later, these people tracked the incidents back to the peddler and had him thrown into a water prison beneath Nü’e Mountain, intending to execute him. When the snake learned of this, it dug a tunnel and rescued its savior. Since then, a clear spring emerged at the spot where the peddler was saved, and in honor of the kind-hearted peddler, people named the spring Cui Quan.