Zhuoying Spring
The Zhuoying Spring (Chinese: 濯缨泉; pinyin: Zhuóyīng Quán, literally "washing out the tassel spring") is a culturally significant artesian karst spring located in historical center of the city of Jinan, Shandong Province, China. It is listed among the 72 famous springs (Chinese: 七十二名泉; pinyin: Qīshíèr Míng Quán) of Jinan (as number 19.).[1] The spring forms a large spring pool, the Palace Pool (Chinese: 王府池子; pinyin: Wángfŭ Chízǐ), that is used as a public outdoor swimming pool.
The name "Zhuoying Spring" comes from a poem from Mencius, "Li Lou Shang" (Chinese: 离娄上; pinyin: Lí Lóu Shàng), that contains the phrase "wash out the tassel" (Chinese: 濯缨; pinyin: zhuó yīng).[1]
When the army of the Jin dynasty invaded Jinan moving southward into the territory of the Southern Song Dynasty, the local garrison commander, Guan Sheng (Chinese: 关胜; pinyin: Guān Shèng), refused to surrender. A bloody battle ensued and the soldiers washed the textile decorations of their lancets in the Palace Pool.[1]
The name "Palace Pool" dates back to the time of the Ming Dynasty, when the De Wang Palace (Chinese: 德王; pinyin: Dé Wáng) was constructed at the site and the spring pool was included into its grounds.[1] Today, the pool lies in a historical residential neighborhood with private residences on the water edge.
References
- online article about the Zhuoying Spring by the provincial government of Shandong Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine