Baotu Spring (趵突泉)

 

Baotu Spring [Photo by Lin Liyao/China.org.cn]

Baotu Spring is no doubt the most renowned attraction in Jinan. It is an artesian karst spring fed by underground limestone water through three outlets. The volume of the water coming out of the spring can reach up to 240,000 cubic meters per day, and the water jetting out is said to reach as high as 26.49 meters (86.9 feet). The spring water, clear and transparent, is ideal drinking water; and the water temperature remains at a constant 18℃(64.4℉) all year round. Baotu was declared the "No.1 Spring under Heaven" by Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911), and since has become the symbol of the city.