In the Tang Dynasty, the famous ‘Tea Sage’ Lu Yu tasted 20 kinds of springs all over the world. He considered the water of Donglian Spring in Kangwang Valley of Lushan Mountain as the best, and the new spring in Huishan, Wuxi as the second. After him, Liu Bochu once said, ‘There are seven kinds of water suitable for making tea: Zhongling Spring in the Yangtze River is the first, Huishan Spring is the second, and Huqiu Spring is the third…’. The Huishan Spring evaluated by Lu Yu and Liu Bochu is both ranked second, which shows its extraordinary quality. Since then, celebrities of all dynasties have come here for sightseeing. Li Shen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, called it ‘spiritual liquid on earth’. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty inscribed ‘living water from the source’ and regarded it as a tribute, with ‘hundred jars sent in every month’. Su Dongpo, attracted by its reputation, tasted the spring many times and composed a poem, ‘Carrying alone the small moon in the sky, I come to test the second best spring under heaven’. Wen Zhengming, a famous painter in the Ming Dynasty, had a tea party with friends in Huishan. Inspired, he created the precious painting scroll ‘Wen Zhengming’s Painting Scroll of Huishan Tea Party’, which is now treasured in the Palace Museum. However, the fame of Huishan Spring is obviously not only due to the spring itself. On the evening of the 15th day of the seventh lunar month every autumn, a bright full moon is reflected in the pool, which is called ‘The Moon Reflected in Two Springs’. In modern times, the blind musician Ah Bing created the famous piece ‘The Moon Reflected in Two Springs’ based on this, which is famous all over the world and expresses people’s infinite longing for a better life. In 1985, this piece was recorded on a record in the United States and ranked first among eleven Chinese music pieces popular all over the United States, becoming a Chinese music piece accepted by the United States. Seiji Ozawa, a famous Japanese conductor, once said, ‘This song should be listened to on one’s knees’, which shows its great charm.
Opening hours: Open all day all year round.
Must-see tips: The surface tension of the spring water is very large. If the water fills the cup to the brim, it will bulge high without overflowing, which is amazing.
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