Whenever I travel to Beijing, I like to stay in a very small inexpensive hotel which few people know about. There are many reasons for my choice but the most important is the small lake nearby which is a delight to me at every time of day and in every kind of weather. One of the most interesting things about the lake is the way it attracts people of every age and style. Naturally, there are some who come there to fish but most people come simply to stand or sit gazing at the water.
　　
　　Gazing at water is something that is very common among people all over the world, but different people do it in different ways and with different results. We can see that this is the case even in China. Along the mighty rivers, in Shanghai, Lanzhou or Guilin people are naturally drawn to the banks of their own river, while in coastal cities Qingdao, Yantai or Xiamen they watch the sea. In Jinan, however, people love to gaze at the beautiful springs. Spring water is very special and gazing at it creates special people.
　　Rivers are long, tortuous and powerful; at times they sink down to a gentle flow or can even be frozen solid; in times of flood they are destructive and merciless. Gazing at the great rivers makes us think of connections. The rivers link together so many places that are so dissimilar and flow unheeding through them all. The river is a friend but can change in a few seconds into a merciless destructive foe. The river changes as it moves along: sometimes it is slow moving, sometimes it moves with incredible speed but its end is inevitable ― to become part of the sea. It makes us fatalistic and perhaps rather anxious, treating every day as a new challenge.
　　The sea, on the other hand, is vast and remote; it fills us with awe and perhaps more than a little terror. The sea changes every day as the tide comes in and goes out. Its character is unpredictable; some days it is calm and placid, on others it is stormy and savage. Some morning the waves lap gently on the shore, by evening mighty breakers will be crashing against the rocks. Gazing at the sea makes us think of faraway places and takes our mind away into the distance. It makes us restless and draws our attention to the world outside.
　　
　　Springs are not like that. Spring water is pure, profound, refined, untroubled, mysterious and eternal. Gazing at spring water we can imagine how pure it is: pure rain water from the mountains filtered through layer after layer of natural rock. We can reflect on how profound it is coming from the depths of the earth. It is refined and graceful like a beautiful lady whose beauty sparkles with no artifice at all. It is untroubled by wind or weather by sun or storm, always the same gentle effervescence. A spring is such a mysterious thing: why does the water rise here and not there? Where does the water come from and where has it been? It is a symbol of life and the mystery of life. The most fascinating thing is that spring water is eternal. Life comes and goes; those gazing at the spring today may not be on this earth tomorrow but the spring will still be here; when we gaze at a spring we are in touch with the whole of eternity and our little life comes into true perspective.
　　Spring water has always fascinated me ever since I was a little boy. I never failed to be amazed at how after climbing the mountain opposite our home in the countryside for perhaps two hours we could come on a spring bubbling out the purest, clearest water that anyone can imagine. How did that water get there? Was it put there just to refresh me on a hot summer day? Would it always be there? Spring water seems always to provoke questions. As I stand or sit with Jinan people gazing at the springs I wonder what questions they have in their mind. The water as it bubbles up focuses our attention on the very meaning of life and the mystery of our existence.
　　Gazing at the spring gives us tranquillity, freshness and a philosophical mind. We believe that the spring will be there tomorrow, that the world will continue its natural course, that no matter how troubled our life may be at any time there is a core of our being that will remain untouched and help us to rise again. Yes, one very dry summer may seem to make the spring almost vanish, but deep down it is still alive and a shower or two of rain and the sweet water returns even more vigorous than before. When we see the bubbles rising in spring water we can feel the freshness of the pure air trapped inside. As they swell up and dance we can feel the confidence rising inside us and our hearts also dance with joy. We regain our strength to return to the world and face whatever the day may bring. Most of all, as we gaze at spring water our minds are full of thoughts, some far too deep for words and we reach a new level of experience. We are no longer concerned with the trivia of daily life but have the inner certainty that life is good, that it is here to be enjoyed, to be seized and appreciated. We don"t need to concern ourselves with what other people may think or how rich and prosperous others seem to be. The real treasure is there beside us in the waters of the springs. If you want to understand something of what makes Jinan people so special, go and spend some time gazing at the water in one of Jinan"s beautiful and philosophical springs. You will never be the same person again.

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