Jinan boasts mountains, rivers, and springs. You will definitely be impressed by the beauty of Jinan as long as you pay a visit. Throughout history, there have been countless poems praising the springs of Jinan, with particular emphasis on the beloved Baotu Spring, admired by ancient scholars.

Zhao Mengfu, a renowned calligrapher and poet of the late Song Dynasty (960-1279) and early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), authored a poem in praise of the Baotu Spring, one of the most revered natural wonders of Jinan. According to the poem, the Baotu Spring is the origin of the city's moat, Luoshui, and resembles a white jade pot shape when spring water gushes out from the ground. The poem lauds the spring's longevity, declaring that the East Sea that was said to connect with it will never dry, even if the earth were to go dry.

 Chinese handwriting of Zhao Mengfu's "Poem on Baotu Spring". [Photo/WeChat account: jnbtq1]

The poem's fifth and sixth lines are widely known for their depiction of the mist created by the Baotu Spring gushing that can cover Huashan Mountain, and the sound of gushing that can shock Daming Lake, vividly showcasing the spring's magnificence. These two lines are now hung as a couplet on the columns of Luoyuan Hall, located on the spring's shore.

As he hailed the magnificent Baotu Spring, the poet exclaimed that regular visits to the spring could rid one of the ordinary thoughts and preserve a heart as pristine as snow and ice.

Zhao's vivid description of the Baotu Spring has made it one of Jinan's famous attractions for generations. Even Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was drawn to its fame and visited the spring, proclaiming it "the best spring in the world".