# Baotu Spring (趵突泉)

Jinan, Shandong Province · East China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/baotu-spring
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥40; night square for tea-tasting by the spring ¥20
- **Time needed:** 2–3 hours
- **Getting there:** Near the south gate of Baotu Spring (bus stop)
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Hiking & Outdoors, Photography, Nature

## About Baotu Spring

Baotu Spring Park is located in Lixia District, Jinan, and is a natural landscape park centred on springs. Within it is Baotu Spring, known as the “First Spring under Heaven.” Its most remarkable sight is that the water divides into three streams that gush day and night, rising several feet at high water. The south gate of Baotu Spring Park is especially worth seeing: it is magnificently decorated, and the horizontal plaque above the gate carries the characters “Baotu Spring” in gold on a blue background, written by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty. It is hailed as the “First Gate” of Chinese gardens.

## Tips from the guidebook

- Tea brewed with this spring water is wonderfully fragrant. To the east of the spring stands Wanghe Pavilion (Crane-Watching Pavilion), which has a teahouse inside.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1327. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.