Beijing, 4 Apr (ZXS) -- Visiting the water source at the northern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the Yuan Dynasty: A pool of clear springs has been running for a hundred years
China News Agency reporter Xu Jing
About 40 kilometers north of Yuquan Mountain on the west side of Beijing's Summer Palace, there is a glimpse of the "resurrected" Baifu Spring. It is located in the newly built Grand Canal Source Site Park, where the spring water is gurgling, and the "Longquan Shuyu" landscape of the Nine Dragon Pond on the site is reproduced.
The picture shows the Baifu Spring site - Jiulong Pond in the Beijing Grand Canal Source Site Park. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
More than 700 years ago, in order to solve the problem of water transportation, Guo Shoujing, a scientist in the Yuan Dynasty, proposed a plan for diversion of Baifu water: build a Baifu weir to be introduced into Wengshan Po (the predecessor of Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace), and then into a pond of water, which connects with the river from the south to become the Tonghui River. Since then, Baifu Spring, located in Changping District, Beijing, has become the upstream water source at the northern end of the Grand Canal in the Yuan Dynasty.
The reporter saw in the foothills of Longshan Mountain, adjacent to the spring water, that mountain flowers were competing to open and egrets roosted in the forest. In the past, Baifu Spring, which nourished the people of Beijing through water transportation, has become a water-friendly leisure place at the doorstep of citizens.
In recent years, Beijing has implemented a series of measures to protect the canal and tap the canal culture. The "Beijing Grand Canal National Cultural Park Construction and Protection Plan" released in 2021 proposed that the construction of the Grand Canal will build a river of culture, ecology, development, people's livelihood and integration; Beijing will strengthen the cultural protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal, promote the overall protection of the material cultural heritage of the Grand Canal, the surrounding environment, and cultural ecology, and plan to build the Grand Canal Source Site Park.
The picture shows the Beijing Grand Canal Source Site Park. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
The total planned area of the Grand Canal Source Site Park is 63.16 hectares. Among them, the first phase of the park covers a total area of 11.6 hectares and will open on April 4. This park is not only a ruin, but also focuses on the inheritance of history and culture while recreating the ancient cultural relics in the park.
Xing Jun, former director of Beijing Changping District Museum, introduced that there are mainly cultural relics protection units such as Baifuquan Ruins - Jiulong Pond and Dulong King Temple in the Grand Canal Source Site Park. Built in the Yuan Dynasty, the Dulong King Temple was once a famous place to pray for rain, and the murals painted on the walls on both sides of the main hall were restored in 2020; The current Baifu Spring consists of two parts: the "Baifu Spring" stele pavilion and the Jiulong Pond, which was built on the basis of the original site in 1989; Inside the stele pavilion, the stone stele is engraved with the "Renovation of the Baifu Spring Site" written by Hou Renzhi, "There are many flowing springs along the mountains in Changping, which are closely related to the historical city of Beijing, and the first to recommend the Baifu Spring", the words are clearly distinguishable.
The picture shows the mural in the main hall of the Dulong King Temple in the Beijing Grand Canal Source Site Park. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
The story of white floating water and canals began in the Yuan Dynasty and flowed into the future. In the park's Luyingtai scenic area, photographs taken by birdwatchers in the Changping area are placed along the road, where visitors can watch birds and better understand birds. The Longquan Temple at the eastern foot of Longshan in the park has been built as a history and culture exhibition of the source of the Grand Canal, introducing the beginning and end of the construction of Baifuquan and its impact on future generations through three exhibition halls: "Dadu Chuxing Seeking Water Source", "Longquan North Guide to Ji Cao" and "Tonghui Zhouzhuang Imperial Capital".
"Where does the foundation of Beijing's water system come from?" "What is the unique landscape of Baifu Spring?" ...... The reporter saw that there were a total of 32 questions on the interactive screen, and clicking on the question could automatically play the answer; In the sand table of the water diversion experience hall, after lighting up the springs in turn, a complete Baifu Wengshan River water diversion project line will be presented to people. The exhibition interacts with visitors through scientific and technological means, showing the historical changes and cultural bearings of Baifu Spring.
The northernmost room of Longquan Temple is the Longshan Academy Research Classroom, which is mainly used for research and reading club activities for primary and secondary school students. Wu Zhenping, deputy general manager of Beijing Changping Cultural Tourism Group, introduced that the first reading club will be launched on the 8th, when cultural relics experts will lead students to read a book on canal culture.
At the "Yuanshangyuan" coffee bar in Longquan Temple, cultural and creative products such as stationery, daily necessities, and decorations with the theme of "Longxing Good Luck" are available for tourists to buy. Wu Zhenping said that with the deepening of the coordinated development of the regions along the Grand Canal, the group will also dock with the cultural resources of the Grand Canal in Tongzhou District, Beijing, and jointly highlight the value of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt in cultural inheritance, ecological environment, cultural creativity, tourism and leisure, and driving regional cooperation. (End)