Eighteen Gully Hot Springs

　　Long White Dragon Pool has countless springs, where warm currents ripple to reveal hot springs. The Eighteen Gully Hot Springs in Changbai County, Jilin Province, have been called the "Divine Spring" by locals for over a hundred years due to their miraculous healing properties.

　　Since joining the army and coming to Changbai in 1977, I have bathed in the Eighteen Gully Hot Springs countless times, yet each experience feels different. Especially this last time, I can say I went with a sense of pilgrimage. To be honest, it wasn’t to worship those few divine springs, but to follow the historical trail and pay homage to the person who first discovered them.

　　The story goes back to 1901, at the beginning of the last century. According to historical records, in the 27th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, when Tonghua Prefect Li Shichen came to Changbai to inspect the borderlands, his attendant, Patrol Chief Lu, shot and injured a tiger along the way. He ordered soldiers to track the tiger by its blood trail heading west. They chased it to the ridge of Eighteen Gully, where the tiger fled south again. The soldiers followed it to about five li south of Eighteen Gully Village but still couldn’t catch it. Instead, they discovered several steaming springs emitting a strong sulfur smell. When he dipped his hand in, the water felt smooth as ointment, warm but not scalding—it was a fine spring. Overjoyed, he thought, “I didn’t catch the tiger, but finding a hot spring is pretty good,” so he gave up the chase. Unexpectedly, upon returning, his superior, seeing him empty-handed, didn’t even let him explain before giving him a severe beating. He was given a deadline to find the injured tiger. The soldier, dragging his injured leg from the beating, went back to chase the tiger. Halfway there, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he ended up deserting. With great difficulty, he made his way to the hot springs to bathe and heal. In less than half a month, his wounds and illness were completely cured. From then on, the fame of Eighteen Gully Hot Springs spread far and wide, and the title of “Divine Spring” was born. Ever since, those who ventured into the mountains, hunted, or reclaimed land and suffered injuries all came to the hot springs to bathe and heal. Travelers from near and far came in an endless stream seeking treatment.

　　Over the years, every time I bathed in the Eighteen Gully Hot Springs in Changbai, I felt refreshed and invigorated. Patients with arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, neurasthenia, stomach ailments, and skin conditions often came here to bathe, and before they knew it, their illnesses were gone. Later, water quality tests revealed that the Eighteen Gully Hot Springs are a type of sodium bicarbonate-heavy spring, containing dozens of chemical elements such as calcium, magnesium, and sodium alkali carbonate. Not only can it improve blood circulation, soften the skin’s keratin layer, and relieve itching, but valuable chemical elements and compounds can also be extracted from it for use in atomic and chemical industries—its applications are extremely broad. It’s clear that the springs not only have medical value but also great utility in industrial and agricultural production. Industrially, it can be used in boilers, tanning, dyeing, brewing, and more. Agriculturally, it can be used for seedling cultivation and seed soaking.

　　Bathing in the Eighteen Gully Hot Springs is not only exhilarating and supremely comfortable, but it also gives one the feeling of “divine mineral spring water, pure and clean, washing away the dust and lightening the body.” At such moments, I’m deeply grateful to the discoverer of the hot springs. Without his actions back then, without his courage and boldness, what would the hot springs be like today? Would they have even been discovered?

　　The location of the Changbai Eighteen Gully Hot Springs is also a scenic and beautiful tourist destination. Less than a li to the south stand two elegant peaks like a pair of fairies leaning on each other’s shoulders, whispering their inner affections. Below the mountain, a small stream winds through the valley, its waters shimmering and mountain shadows dancing—a uniquely beautiful and breathtaking scene. It’s an ideal place for people to seek treatment, convalesce, travel, and vacation.