Five Springs Park lies in the northwest part of Gaolan Mountain (gāo lán shān 皋兰山), which stands in the south part of the downtown area in Lanzhou City (lán zhōu shì 兰州市), Gansu Province (gān sù shěng 甘肃省). The park, the largest in Lanzhou, occupies 266,400 square meters (2,867,599.56 square feet) on Five Springs Mountain (wǔ quán shān 五泉山). The park is well-known for its tranquil and beautiful scenery with lush forest, gurgling springs, a lot of ancient temples. Wuquan means five springs in English and it got the name from the five springs in the here namely, Ganlu, Juyue, Mozi, Hui, Meng. This area has became a resort for the rich over 2,000 years ago.

 
History

In the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 24 A.D.), a famous general, Huo Qubing, was dispatched by the Emperor to go on a punitive expedition to the Hun people, a minority group who lived in the northwestern part of China at that time. Since the troops had traveled from Chang'an (now Xian ), General Huo and his soldiers were exhausted when they arrived at the foot of Gaolan Mountain. They couldn't find any water nearby, so General Huo forcefully jabbed his horsewhip five times into the ground. Abruptly five springs spurted water into the air. Thereafter the locals called the mountain the Five Springs Mountain. While this story sounds surreal, the quality and the quantity of the five springs are true. They have flowed and served the locals for several thousand years. In 1955, it was officially opened as a park. Local authorities added a zoo, an amusement park for adults and another for children.
 

Geographic Features and Climate

Lanzhou is situated in the temperate zone and enjoys a semi-arid climate with hot summers and cold and dry winters. Diurnal temperature ranges tend to be somewhat large due to the high elevation and aridity. The mean annual temperature is 9.8 °C, while annual rainfall is 315 millimetres, almost all of which falls from May to October.


Attractions


The Middle Peak of the Five Springs Mountain, the highest point in the park, reaches 1,600 meters (5,294 feet). It serves as the park axis. Ganlu Spring, Juyue Spring, and Mozi Spring are distributed over the Middle Peak area. Meng Spring and Hui Spring are located on either side of Middle Peak.

Ganlu Spring
When you pass the Tibetan Buddhism Mani Temple, you will see the first spring, Ganlu Spring, on the top of the mountain. Ganlu means sweet dew or timely rain in English.

Ancient Chinese emperors and officials often asked the god in charge of agriculture in heaven to bring rain to assure a harvest in the coming year. They prayed and offered sacrifices at an altar on the mountaintop. Thus when it rained, people considered it timely rain or sweet dew.

Juyue Spring
Juyue Spring is the most magical one among the five springs because of its unique location. This spring is in the shape of a well. Ju means to hold something in two hands, while Yue means the moon. When combined, these two characters mean this spring could hold the moon in her hands. What a beautiful picture! Especially around the time of Middle Autumn Day, you can very clearly see the shadow of the moon reflecting in the spring.

Mozi Spring
Mozi Spring means to touch or feel the stone to learn the gender of a fetus. Because a Buddha in charge of birth is worshiped in the Dizang Temple near the Mozi Spring, people believe the Mozi Spring can tell whether it will be a boy or a girl.

Meng Spring & Hui Spring
The last two springs are located on the two sides of Middle Peak. The spring on the east side is Meng Spring. It is said that if people use the water from this spring to make Meng Tea, which is produced on Mt. Meng, Sichuan Province, the flavor will be extraordinary. The other spring was named Hui Spring. Hui means benefiting someone. The quantity of Hui Spring was so great that it even met local water supply needs. Today the flow is less.

The five springs are not the only tourist magnet. This park is also a famous scenic religious spot. Wenchang Temple, Butterfly Pavilion, Golden Buddha Temple, Mahavira Hall, Wanyuan Pavilion, Thousand Buddha Temple, etc., are arranged along a passage on Five Springs Mountain. Corridors and stone steps, which add artistic atmosphere to the park, connect the buildings.

The natural beauty of the five springs is enhanced by verdant groves while the temples make it a famous religious destination. Five Springs Park not only offers visitors a place to relax, but also provides a place to learn about Buddhism.

Each year in the 8th day of April, based on the Chinese traditional calendar, the Five Springs Mountain parks will hold the temple fairs, besides which there are also flower shows, plants displays, and various activities based on local customs. In order to make a pilgrimage to the famous mountain temple, Buddhists travel here from all different regions. Every year during Spring Festival, the colorful lanterns show is held.
 

Recommended Food

Lanzhou Beef Noodles  (lán zhōu niú ròu miàn 兰州牛肉拉面)
Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Stretched Noodles) is the most famous local dish in Lanzhou. It is a typical style of Lanzhou Lamian (lán zhōu lā miàn 兰州拉面). It was first created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875 - 1908), Qing Dynasty (1616 - 1911) and it is now popular all over China. This dish has five main features: clear soup, white radish, red pepper, green caraway and yellow noodles. The noodles can be wide or slim to meet different preferences.

Niang pi zi  (niàng pí zǐ 酿皮子)
Niang pi zi cannot be missed among the local delicacies. Flour paste is steamed for 3 - 4 minutes, then cut into strips and served with mustard, garlic, sesame butter, chili oil, vinegar, and soy sauce.
This is a favorite among the locals and many of the tourists.



Location: in the northwest part of Gaolan Mountain
Tel: 0931-8243247
Transportation: Take Bus No. 8, 18, 76, 106, 101, 102, 31, 33, 34 in Lanzhou city and get off at station Five Springs Mountain (wǔ quán shān 五泉山)
Opening Hours: 06:00 to 18:00
Admission Fee: CNY 5
 

Other Recommended Spots

If you want to experience something more exciting nearby spots, Waterwheel Garden (shuǐ chē bó lǎn yuán 水车博览园), the First Bridge over the Yellow River (huáng hé tiě qiáo 黄河铁桥), White Pagoda Park (bái tǎ gōng yuán 白塔公园) and Gansu Provincial Museum (gān sù shěng bó wù guǎn 甘肃省博物馆) should satisfy you thoroughly.