Chapter 7 The No. 1 Spring in Beiping

People in Peiping often say that if you want to drink good spring water, it must belong to Yuquan Mountain, the best spring in the world!Although Pearl Spring in Jinan, Xiling Spring in Hangzhou, Jiangxin Spring in Jiaoshan Mountain, and the Sixth Spring in Xiaojinshan in Yangzhou are all outstanding springs in China, Yuquan should still rank first in terms of sweetness, clearness and water quality. one.In the northwestern suburbs of Beiping, the Taihang branch is like a coiled dragon entwining the famous mountains and rivers in this area, making it an imperial capital for thousands of years.Among them, there are three most famous mountains, namely Weng Mountain, Xiangshan Mountain and Yuquan Mountain.Wengshan Mountain was later renamed "Longevity Mountain", which is also the famous Summer Palace; Xiangshan Mountain was listed as one of the "Eight Views of Yanjing"; All the turbulent and clear streams to watch come from Yuquan!

Ms. Hou Rongsheng returned to the Mainland again in April 1981 to visit relatives. Before returning to the United States, she stopped by Taiwan.One day at her residence in Zhonghe - Guanyin Hall - she had a drink with all the friends in the literary and art circles. After the wine was hot, she said: "This time I visited ancient times in the western suburbs of Beijing and went to Yuquan Mountain. The past is like a dance. The source of the Pearl Splashing Jade and Xuelian Knocking Jade Springs has dried up, and as for the several water sources introduced into Beijing in the past, they have all been diverted and replaced by a newly dug reservoir in Xishan.”

In the era of the Beiyang government, all the places of interest in Beijing were kept and maintained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, such as the Three Great Halls, the Summer Palace, and Yuquan Mountain, all of which had entrance fees, so there was a management office in terms of conservation, and my cousin Wang Yunqi was in charge.In order to maintain the beauty of scenic spots and historical sites, he asked the author to look around from time to time, so he was deeply impressed by the size of rafters and tiles in Yuquanshan temples, and the ancient trees and strange rocks in caves. It is said that Yuquan Mountain has been under construction since the second year of Kaitai in the Liao Dynasty, and it was built as the palace of the Lord of the Liao Dynasty. Second, Jinzhangzong was afraid of the heat in summer, and a Furong Hall with emerald tiles and gold paving was built on the mountain. Another Zhaoming Temple was built. Although these buildings were the palaces and imperial gardens of the emperors of the past dynasties, they have clear pools and mirrors, beautiful scenery, no red sills and green walls, and colorful paintings. The pavilions, pavilions and couplets are also simple and desolate, without the slightest breath of gold powder.

Fu Yukejun, who is in charge of the garden in Yuquan Mountain, was born in a Manchu family. He not only has a long-term heart, but also speaks eloquently. Because he loves the quietness and grandeur of this place, he specially seeks this job. He can write, paint and read his favorite books in his spare time. .So every time I follow my cousin out of the city, if I go to Yuquan Mountain, I always bring some food and wine to spend half a day with Mr. Fu.He said: "The old name of Yuquan Mountain is 'Liebo Lake'. This spring water bursts out from a crack in the stone below Yuquan Mountain. It does not stop day and night. Because the lake is quite deep and the pressure is extremely high, the spring water is squeezed like a string of pearls, rolling upwards one after another, making an agitated sound, so it is called Liebo Lake. The spring water gushes out quickly, and the surrounding area A small lake that is not very big, if it does not have a water outlet, it must be filled with water, and the stream beside the lake cannot stand. However, this lake is on a very high terrain, and it follows the twists and turns of the mountain. What a wide river, Peking people call it 'Yu River'. Don't look at this small river, it runs east to Tongzhou and connects to the North Canal. It is the main waterway for north-south water transportation in China, and the transportation of grain from the south to the north in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces all depends on this water artery!"

Everywhere in Beiping city comes from the trickle of Yuquan Mountain, even the gardens and rice fields in the western suburbs, and even Xishan, Xiangshan and Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace also rely on the spring water of Yuquan Mountain to infuse and moisten.At the foot of Yuquan Mountain, there is a paddy field of less than 20 mu. The rice produced is light green in color and soft but not stagnant in the mouth. , smooth and fragrant, even more fragrant than the most famous red silk rice in Shunde, Guangdong.At that time, if the ministers of the court and the central government were rewarded with royal rice, they would think it was a supreme favor!

Before Puyi left the palace, every morning there was always a big gondola car with a big wooden barrel on it, and a two-foot-long apricot-yellow cloth flag on the car, like the flag of a bodyguard agency, led by a five- The ten-and-a-half-year-old old man drove out of Shenwushuan, walked slowly, and went straight to Yuquan Mountain.Fill up the spring water, and then drive the car back. The spring water will be handed over to the tea stove room in the palace, which is specially used for tea making in various parts of the inner court.He was three hundred and sixty-five days a year, rain or shine, until Puyi left the palace, and the waterwheel with the apricot-yellow flag was no longer visible on the road.It is said that since the Ming Dynasty, the drinking water in the palace has been transported into the palace by water truck.In the Qing Dynasty, it was still handled according to the old system. Emperor Qianlong also wrote an article "Jade Spring Mountain Records" and set up the stone at the foot of Yuquan Mountain by the Wanghu Pavilion, which shows that the water quality of Yuquan is soft and slightly sweet after drinking. , so it is called "the first spring in the world", but "the lake is so cold that no one dares to wade in it in summer, no one dares to wash it in spring and autumn, and no one dares to drink it".

Generally, cold springs are warm in winter and cool in summer, but the spring water of Yuquan Mountain, no matter how hot or cold it is, is always bitterly cold, which is true.Sheqin Bian Fengnian and Li Weinian were both national middle-distance runners in the Far East Games when they were in school. One summer vacation, five or six of them came back from camping in Xishan Mountain. They passed by Yuquan Mountain and visited the park.They saw the deep and wide Tianchi, the water was clear to the bottom, the spring gushed out like pearls, and hit the lake. Everyone was thirsty and hot, and saw the flying jets forming a curtain, spurting like snow and cold springs. They all wanted to take off their clothes and enter the water to cool off. Jun had a peek at their intentions and followed them around the lake, but Feng Nian suddenly threw the camera hanging around his neck towards the center of the lake, pretending to have fallen into the water by mistake, and asked the garden to salvage it for him.Fu Jun knew very well that the suction in the center of the lake was strong and the water was even colder. Before he could answer, Bian and Li, relying on their strength, had already plunged into the water.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Fu Jun immediately ordered the gardener to take ropes, chop firewood, and make wine for backup, and then watched Bian and Li circling around the camera after they entered the water.They went to everyone together, and seeing that the situation was wrong, they tied the long rope around their waists, held hands in a series, and pulled Bian and Li to the shore with all their strength.But they were already dying of cold limbs. Fortunately, Fu Jun brought the wine quickly, immediately untied their wet clothes, kneaded them vigorously, and added a fire to bake them, and finally rescued them from the gate of hell.Dare to feel that when they got into the water, they were shocked by the cold, and immediately closed their breath, their hands and feet couldn't move. Fortunately, they had deep water, strong physique, and they were treated quickly and quickly, so they woke up one after another in a short time.From then on, they believed in the words of Qianlong that "the lake is extremely cold, and Xia dare not sand".

In addition to listening to the spring and looking at the spring in Yuquan Mountain, the scenery of Wanghu Pavilion, Huayan Temple, Jinshan Temple, Qizhen Cave, Huayan Cave, and Lugong Cave on the mountain are also picturesque and interesting.There are many poems engraved on the wall of Qizhen Cave, which are said to have been written by Yelu Chucai in the Yuan Dynasty, so there are many poems written by Fuhezhi later, and they are all engraved on the left and right sides of the cave wall.Luxian Cave has steep stone blades, and the haze is bright and dark. It is said that Lu Xian rested here in the past, so it is called Luxian Cave.In the cave, you can see the shadow of the Yuquan Pagoda and hear the bells outside the clouds. It is a wonderful cool Zen cave.Yuan Qinian, the public security officer, once chanted Yuquan's poem. There is a sentence in it that "the pulsation of the creeping spring never stops in ancient times. It sounds like a sudden rain, and it looks like a boiling pot blowing." Unexpectedly, after three centuries, Yuquan, which "has never stopped in ancient times", Not only stop but also dry.Looking north at Yanyun, I feel sad and sigh.