Baotu Spring 趵突泉

About Baotu Spring

Guanlan Pavilion stands to the west and Laihe Bridge to the east, giving the water a carefully composed architectural setting. The wider park contains additional springs and the courtyard complex of Wanzhu Garden. Look at both the movement of the water and the changing frames around it; the spring’s flow varies with groundwater conditions rather than behaving like a mechanical fountain.

Also known as Jianquan and, in antiquity, as Luo, the spring is recorded as the source of the ancient Luo River. The Qianlong Emperor (乾隆), passing through Jinan while traveling the Grand Canal, is said to have called it 'Number One Spring under Heaven' (天下第一泉); a stele he personally inscribed beside the pool reads 'First Spring' (第一泉). It ranks first among Jinan's Seventy-two Famous Springs (七十二名泉) and is one of the city's three principal sights, alongside Daming Lake (大明湖) and Qianfo Mountain (千佛山).

Other named springs within the park include Shuyu Spring (漱玉泉), Mapao Spring (马跑泉), Huanghua Spring (皇华泉), Dukang Spring (杜康泉), Cang Spring (沧泉) and Jinxian Spring (金线泉), with a memorial hall to the poet Li Qingzhao (李清照) beside Shuyu Spring; its outflow runs north into the old city moat. The park sits outside that moat, at the southwest corner of Jinan's old walled city.

The spring has stopped flowing repeatedly: the first recorded cutoff, once water-level records began, was on 30 March 1976, and it ran dry for 926 days between 14 March 1999 and 17 September 2001, before resuming continuous flow on 6 September 2003. Since 1980 the park has held an annual Spring Festival lantern show, suspended from 2020 to 2022.

What to look for

• The main spring pool and its three underwater outlets, framed by Guanlan Pavilion and Laihe Bridge.
• Wanzhu Garden’s linked courtyards, halls and small bridges.

The surrounding area

Provincial capital base for springs, old lanes and museums; Qushuiting, Baihuazhou and Kuanhouli have different walking and dining roles.

Location & getting there

Getting to Baotu Spring

The park’s address is 1 Baotuquan South Road in central Jinan, beside the old moat and west of Quancheng Square. Choose the park entrance on that road for the main pool visit.