Chongqing City Tour Packages
Southern Hot Springs Park
Constructed in 1927, the
Southern Hot Springs Park is located in the southern
suburbs about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from
Chongqing City. Just as
its name implies, this park is renowned for its hot
springs. Originally, the southern hot springs were
discovered in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and became a
bath house in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After
liberation, it has been developed into a famous tourist
attraction.
The Southern Hot Springs Park has about 110 bathrooms
and three swimming pools - outdoor and indoor swimming
pools with one for children. The hot springs contain
abundant minerals and taking a hot spring bath can
rejuvenate body metabolism and cure some diseases, such
as those of the skin, arthritis and rheumatism.
The Southern Hot Springs Park is celebrated for its
appealing natural scenic spots as well as some cultural
and historical sites. It has green hills covered with
verdant forests, limpid streams and crystal springs,
magnificent waterfalls and secluded caves. One of the
most popular of these is the Fairy Cave. Legend has it
that once a village girl practiced asceticism in the
cave and finally became immortal; hence its name.
Outside the cave is the statue of the Fairy who looks
like a village girl. The Fairy Cave is of karst
topography and about 30 meters high (98 feet) and 1,000
meters (3,281 feet) deep. Inside tourists can see
wonderful stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes.
Along the Huaxi River in the park is a magic pond which
is fed by the water from a spring. This pond can
forecast the weather. If the water is clear, the weather
will be fine; otherwise, it will rain. Thus, it is
called Qing Yu Spring which means sunny (Qing) and rainy
(Yu) in Chinese.
The cultural and historical sites are almost on the
Jianwen Peak. Initially, it was called the Jianyu
Mountain. It is said that Emperor Jianwen of the Ming
Dynasty once lived there as a Buddhist monk. The Mansion
of Kong Xiangxi and the Villa of Lin Sen are the two
main attractions on the mountain. Kong (1880-1967) was
the Finance Minister and the president of the central
bank and Bank of China of the Kuomintang Government. Lin
(1868-1943) once served as the President of the National
Government of the Republic of China. In addition,
tourists can go to the Chongqing Stone Appreciation and
Exhibition Hall to enjoy grotesque stones of other
provinces in China.
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