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Tiger Spring a whole lot more than water
By Fei Lai |
March 5, 2009, Thursday
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PURE, clear and available to everyone, the spring water at "Dreamlike Tiger Spring," one of the 10 new scenes of West Lake, is known for the special flavor it brings to Longjing (dragon well) tea.
Locals regularly bring a variety of empty containers to the spring to collect the magical water.
Visitors come here to discover for themselves the enchantment of the water, and just a few drops will confirm for most people that this is special water indeed.
Rated the third best in all of China (though locals would argue about this), this water lives up to its reputation in every way. Its purity has much to do with the fact that it seeps through quartzite that contains minerals and is considered health-giving.
Legend has it that there was not always water at Tiger Spring - which can be found at the foot of Daci Hill south of the West Lake. Some 1,000 years ago, a monk called Xing Kong had almost given up living there because of the lack of drinking water.
But one night he was told in a dream that two tigers would come to help him. The very next day when he woke up, he saw two tigers clawing the ground and soon afterwards at the very spot where they had been clawing, the spring suddenly gushed forth.
Many poets have sung the praises of this beautiful and unique spring. As early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the famous poet Su Dongpo (Su Shi) hailed Tiger Spring saying "the Buddhist grudges no water and shares it with ordinary people."
On the path you will see a tiger statue at the foot of a luxuriant green cliff. On the left side of the cliff is the source of the spring.
The spring water has such density here that visitors can float small coins in the spring. Tourists can try this themselves.
Certainly visitors should enjoy drinking a cup of Longjing tea brewed with the spring water. You can sit in the tea house near the cliff to enjoy the freshness and unique flavor.
But there's more than just water here. The place is a popular cultural destination.
One of the highlights of the area is a memorial to the monk Ji Gong, a Buddhist monk during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in China. He is known as China's Robin Hood and there are hundreds of stories about him.
The spring and the surrounding valley have now become a part of the Tiger Spring Forest Park.
The park also features a memorial to Li Shutong, the great monk and a scholar of music, drama, painting and calligraphy.
He was born in Tianjin in 1880. In 1905 Li went to Japan to study Western painting and music. After returning to China, he encouraged a great many distinguished artists including Feng Zikai, the famous Chinese painter, and Liu Zhiping, the musician.
Li was the first Chinese art teacher to use nude models in his classes and was the first teacher of Western music in China. Li was also an accomplished composer and lyricist. Many of his compositions are still remembered and performed today.
In 1918, Li began a new chapter in his life by choosing to be ordained as a monk at Tiger Spring Temple and became known as Master Hong Yi. In 1942, Master Hong Yi died peacefully at the age of 63 in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. His work "The Farewell Song" will last forever.
How to get there
You can take a bullet train from Shanghai South Railway Station to Hangzhou - it only takes 78 minutes. Or drive yourself via the A8 Expressway which takes about two hours.
After arriving in Hangzhou, you can take transit buses K4, Y5, 315 to the Tiger Spring.
Address: 39 Hupao Road, Hangzhou
Hours: 6am-6pm
Admission: 15 yuan
Tel: (0571) 8608-6364
Locals regularly bring a variety of empty containers to the spring to collect the magical water.
Visitors come here to discover for themselves the enchantment of the water, and just a few drops will confirm for most people that this is special water indeed.
Rated the third best in all of China (though locals would argue about this), this water lives up to its reputation in every way. Its purity has much to do with the fact that it seeps through quartzite that contains minerals and is considered health-giving.
Legend has it that there was not always water at Tiger Spring - which can be found at the foot of Daci Hill south of the West Lake. Some 1,000 years ago, a monk called Xing Kong had almost given up living there because of the lack of drinking water.
But one night he was told in a dream that two tigers would come to help him. The very next day when he woke up, he saw two tigers clawing the ground and soon afterwards at the very spot where they had been clawing, the spring suddenly gushed forth.
Many poets have sung the praises of this beautiful and unique spring. As early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the famous poet Su Dongpo (Su Shi) hailed Tiger Spring saying "the Buddhist grudges no water and shares it with ordinary people."
On the path you will see a tiger statue at the foot of a luxuriant green cliff. On the left side of the cliff is the source of the spring.
The spring water has such density here that visitors can float small coins in the spring. Tourists can try this themselves.
Certainly visitors should enjoy drinking a cup of Longjing tea brewed with the spring water. You can sit in the tea house near the cliff to enjoy the freshness and unique flavor.
But there's more than just water here. The place is a popular cultural destination.
One of the highlights of the area is a memorial to the monk Ji Gong, a Buddhist monk during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in China. He is known as China's Robin Hood and there are hundreds of stories about him.
The spring and the surrounding valley have now become a part of the Tiger Spring Forest Park.
The park also features a memorial to Li Shutong, the great monk and a scholar of music, drama, painting and calligraphy.
He was born in Tianjin in 1880. In 1905 Li went to Japan to study Western painting and music. After returning to China, he encouraged a great many distinguished artists including Feng Zikai, the famous Chinese painter, and Liu Zhiping, the musician.
Li was the first Chinese art teacher to use nude models in his classes and was the first teacher of Western music in China. Li was also an accomplished composer and lyricist. Many of his compositions are still remembered and performed today.
In 1918, Li began a new chapter in his life by choosing to be ordained as a monk at Tiger Spring Temple and became known as Master Hong Yi. In 1942, Master Hong Yi died peacefully at the age of 63 in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. His work "The Farewell Song" will last forever.
How to get there
You can take a bullet train from Shanghai South Railway Station to Hangzhou - it only takes 78 minutes. Or drive yourself via the A8 Expressway which takes about two hours.
After arriving in Hangzhou, you can take transit buses K4, Y5, 315 to the Tiger Spring.
Address: 39 Hupao Road, Hangzhou
Hours: 6am-6pm
Admission: 15 yuan
Tel: (0571) 8608-6364
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