Wen Tang Town

Wen Tang Town

Wen Tang Town is located 15 kilometers southwest of Yichun in Jiangxi Province. Yichun has been home to many notable figures, including the landscape poet Tao Yuanming and Song Yingxing, author of *The Exploitation of the Works of Nature*. When Han Yu served as prefect of Yichun, he wrote the line “Do not say Yichun is far — its rivers and mountains are rich in scenic wonders” to praise the area. Over the dynasties, other poets and writers who visited Yichun and left literary works include Li Bai, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Jia Dao, Liu Changqing, Mei Yaochen, Yue Fei, Wang Anshi, Fan Chengda, Yang Wanli, Xin Qiji, Wen Tianxiang, and Tang Xianzu. However, in recent years, a small town in Yichun — Wen Tang — has gained significant fame. Both CCTV’s *Latitude 30 Degrees* and *China’s Longevity Hometown* have featured special reports on it, mainly because of its unique hot springs.

Public park under construction

According to data, the daily flow of the Wen Tang hot spring can reach 10,000 tons, with the current usage at 5,000 tons. The water temperature ranges from 68–72°C, with no significant seasonal variation. The water is colorless, odorless, has a pure taste, contains no sulfur, and is rich in beneficial trace mineral elements such as selenium and metasilicic acid. Authoritative tests have shown that the Wen Tang hot spring is a high-temperature sodium bicarbonate weak alkaline mineral spring. The components found in this mineral water are highly effective in treating more than twenty types of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, primary hypertension, early-stage arteriosclerosis, lumbar muscle strain, sciatica, gastric ulcers, and chronic enteritis. It is especially effective for skin conditions such as scabies and athlete's foot, while selenium has anti-cancer properties. Wen Tang hot spring can be used both for soaking and drinking, and its selenium-rich quality is unique in China. Of course, for therapeutic purposes, soaking is generally recommended for a period of three months or longer.

If you visit the spring source in the center of Wen Tang Town, you will surely see many people there soaking their feet in the water. There are people from the northeast, the northwest, Guangdong, but most are from Shanghai. It is said that over 800 households in Wen Tang Town are owned by Shanghai residents. Some elderly people live here year-round, while many others come and go frequently.