Xingtai is known as the "City of a Hundred Springs" and was once hailed as the "Little Jiangnan of Fish and Rice".

Dog Head Spring is one of the main springs in the Hundred Springs area and one of the top ten historical springs in Xingtai City. During the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty, Geng Mingshi, the county magistrate of Xingtai, built a water gate along the east side of Dog Head Spring for the benefit of the people. As it was located north of Wujiacun Village, it was named "Wujiacun Gate". In 1750 (the 15th year of the Qianlong period), Emperor Qianlong passed by here on his way back to Beijing from his southern tour. He was attracted by the gushing springs, reeds, and fat river fish. It is said that he left the poem "If I had known there were a hundred springs, why would I have gone to Jiangnan?" and allocated 20,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury for the renovation of the gate canal. After the flood in 1963, the canal system and gate culvert were renovated and expanded. In 1975, the Hundred Springs were further excavated, and some of the spring water was diverted east to the Heilonggang area of Julu, Longyao, and Ningjin counties, expanding the irrigation area once again.

Post by HARLAN OSBORNE | Oct 20, 2024