Sacred Water Ancient Osmanthus

　　　　Looking across the river from the southeastern suburbs of Hanzhong City: peaks compete in beauty, the Han River flows swiftly, undulating ridges stretch out, and lush forests abound. The "Sacred Water Ancient Osmanthus" refers to five springs and one osmanthus tree located on these ridges, within Sacred Water Temple and behind it.

　　　　Sacred Water Temple is about twenty Chinese miles from Hanzhong City. Built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, it sits against a backdrop of mountains and faces the river. The ridge is covered with verdant pines, ancient cypresses tower in front of the temple, wildflowers bloom everywhere, and tender grass sprouts like seedlings. With its picturesque scenery, it is a famous scenic spot in Hanzhong.

　　　　The springs are divided into five: Green Dragon, Yellow Dragon, Red Dragon, White Dragon, and Black Dragon. The Red Dragon Spring is inside the temple, the White Dragon Spring is to the left of the temple, and the other three are on the hillside behind the temple. Each spring is built with stones of five different colors, making the waters appear to be in five distinct hues. Due to natural changes in the underground "aquifer," apart from the White Dragon Spring, which still flows, the other four springs have long dried up.

　　　　The osmanthus tree is located in the central courtyard of the temple, roughly three people’s arms in circumference. Its left branches stretch diagonally, densely foliaged. In autumn, the tree blooms mostly five-petaled flowers. Legend says it was planted during the Han Dynasty, hence it is also called the Han Osmanthus. The scientific name for osmanthus is Osmanthus fragrans, a sub-arbor plant of the Oleaceae family. Commonly found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions, in temperate zones, if living conditions remain stable, these trees can live for around a thousand years. Though the trunk may appear old and thick, the flowers remain richly fragrant. This particular osmanthus tree was likely planted around the time the temple was built during the Ming Dynasty, making it approximately 500 years old.