Jiaowei Spring

Jiaowei Spring

Located north of the Reading Pavilion. In ancient times, there were seven streams running horizontally in front of and behind the former Changshu County government office, resembling the seven strings of a guqin (ancient Chinese zither). To the west, there was another stream that led to the foot of the mountain, resembling the tail of the instrument. The locals, inspired by the famous Jiaowei qin (scorched tail qin) owned by Cai Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty, named the stream “Jiaowei Stream,” and its source was called Jiaowei Spring. During the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, Sun Qizheng wrote a short essay titled “A Brief Record of Jiaowei Spring.”

This spring was dredged during the Chenghua and Hongzhi periods of the Ming Dynasty, and became a scenic spot in the Wanli era. The original stream no longer exists; today, the spring lies in a shallow pool-like basin, with sweet and refreshing water that is highly valued for brewing tea. Beside the spring stands the Jiaowei Pavilion. In 1977, Ye Shengtao inscribed the plaques “Jiaowei Spring” and “Jiaowei Pavilion.” In 1995, local resident Wang Rui Zhang composed and wrote the couplet: “Spring stones echo the zither melodies of the Central Musician; incense from the brazier shares the scholarly fragrance of the Crown Prince,” which was then engraved on a pair of rosewood boards donated by Fu Shan’s Gong Xiangxing and hung inside the Jiaowei Pavilion. The Jiaowei Pavilion was originally named the Shrine of Cangjie (the legendary inventor of Chinese characters), but was renamed in 1977.