To the west of Black Tiger Spring, there is South Pearl Spring on the city moat, which belongs to the "Black Tiger Spring Group" and is therefore also known as the "North Pearl Spring." Legend has itthat the strings of “pearls” in Pearl Spring were transformed from the tears ofEmperor Shun’stwoconsorts,――EhuangandNüying. The legend says that when they bid farewell to their subjects with tears in their eyes, they couldn’t help but shed tear after tear onto the earth. Suddenly, with a splash, where the tears dropped, springs gushed forth, with the water bubbling up like strings of pearls—thus forming today’s Pearl Spring. Later generations composed a poem: “Ehuang and Nüying’s sorrowful parting tears turned into glistening springs.”“The wind blows the stone, it cracks, one clear cry, the moon pales with no light.” Nearby springs are scattered in charming disorder, the springs converging into rivers and the rivers giving rise to more springs, all vying in beauty and charm.
Black Tiger Spring is also the only fully open and free-access landscape among the four major spring groups. To preserve the intimate bond between the locals of old Jinan and the springs, the spring area features water-friendly pools and tap points for drawing spring water. It’s common to see small groups of local residents coming here to fill bottles with spring water, either for tea or for making soup, creating flavors imbued with the essence of the Spring City.Longju Springis one of the main springs among the three major spring groups.
According to theCommentary on the Water Classic,before the Northern Wei Dynasty, this body of water already existed, known as the Pure Pool, and was part of Daming Lake. Legend says that Five-Dragon Pool once had unfathomable depths, and whenever drought struck, prayers for rain were answered, so during the Yuan Dynasty, some enthusiasts built a temple by the pool, installing statues of the Dragon Gods of the five directions. Since then, it has been called Five-Dragon Pool. Within Five-Dragon Pool Park, there are 26 ancient named springs of various forms, constituting the Five-Dragon Pool Spring Group—one of Jinan’s four major spring groups. Surrounding the many spring pools is an extensive Five-Dragon Pool spring system, making it the spring group with the best water quality among Jinan’s four renownedspring groups.Spring GroupThe spring group with the best water quality in the area.
