Huishan- Hui Mountian Spring 惠山泉, was tasted by Lu Yu, the “tea sage” of Tang Dynasty, according to legend, therefore, Huishan spring was named Lu Zi spring, honored as “the second spring in the world” by Qing Emperor Qianlong. The spring is now located in Xihui park at the foot of Hui mountain in the western suburb of Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. Because Huishan spring water is famously good, so many ancient tea experts came to taste and discuss. Li Shen, a poet in the middle Tang Dynasty, “茶得此水，皆尽芳味也 once tea has this spring water, it will give off all its fragrance of this tea”. Zhao Mengfu, the great calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty, wrote “the second spring in the world 天下第二泉” for Huishan spring, which is still well preserved on the back wall of the spring Pavilion. In Song Dynasty, the famous poet, Su Shi was well versed in his poem, he brought the best tea cake to try the second spring in the world. After drinking, he repeatedly praised the wonderful.
In recent years, through many tests, it is known that Huishan spring water contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, carbonate and trace radon. The surface tension is large, the water is several millimeters higher than the cup mouth without overflowing, and the water quality is clear and transparent without any harmful substances. Compared with the drinking water quality of the World Health Organization, and other countries, Huishan spring water is indeed one of the best in the world.
Huishan Tea Party – Wen Zhengming
Wen Zhengming and his friends Cai Yu, Wang Shou, Wang Chong and Tang Zhen visited Huishan in Wuxi, where they enjoyed tea and wrote poems at Second Spring Pavilion. After that, they created this piece of chronicle to record their meeting in the mountains. There is a simple thatched well pavilion built between trees and stones. Two men sit cross legged in the well Pavilion around the well fence. One of them is sitting quietly, holding his upper body with one hand and looking at the water side by side. One of them is reading a scroll on his leg. Next to the well Pavilion and under the pine trees, there are all kinds of exquisite tea sets on the tea table. There is a teapot on the square bamboo stove beside the table, which seems to be cooking spring water. One boy is making fire, and the other boy is preparing utensils. The man appeared to have just arrived here, standing with his hands arched, as if to greet the two literati by the well fence. On the right side of the picture, a secluded path behind the pavilion leads to the deep forest. On the curved path, there are two literati chatting and strolling along the way. A boy in front looks back at them as if he is guiding them.
Huishan Cooking Spring Water – Qian Gu
In the painting, Qian Gu, a monk, a Taoist, a Confucianist, and other friends gather for tea at Huishan spring. Qian Gu and his friends enjoyed tea and chatted with each other. One of the three servants took the spring water and the other two fanned a fire to prepare tea.
Every morning the blind Taoist musician A Bing went to the teahouse to collect all kinds of news, came back to create, and in the afternoon he sang in front of the teahouse of Chongan temple; at night he played Erhu in the street, and he could also use Erhu to imitate the voices of men, women, old and young, sighing, laughing, crowing of chickens and barking of dogs.
The Taoist musician A Bing used the rhythm of Erhu to express his inner sorrow and human suffering, praying for the coming of light and happiness, and made many Erhu music, among which the famous song “Er Quan Ying Yue 二泉映月” based on Huishan spring is the most popular. He often visited Huishan spring in the dead of night, listened to the sound of the spring, held the cool spring water in his hands, and although he was blind at that time and could not see the bright moonlight, he was imagining that there would be a free and happy life in the world. After the liberation of Wuxi on 1949, A Bing and his music “the World Second Spring, Hui Mountain Spring, reflecting the Moon 二泉映月” were reborn and recorded. The rhythm of this song is bright and clear, and the melody is more and more moving. The famous song “Er Quan Ying Yue” is as fresh and fluent as the famous Huishan spring, which makes people think deeply. To commemorate this famous folk music artist, the tomb of A Bing – Hua Yanjun was rebuilt beside the spring in 1984.
A Bing, Hua Yanjun lost his mother when he was 4 years old and was raised by his aunt. He followed his father to be a Taoist in Leizun temple. He learned drum, flute, Erhu, Pipa and other musical instruments from his father. A Bing officially took part in playing Taoist music, he was a talented man with a good voice and is known as “little Heavenly Master”. After his father died, he became the great Taoist of Leizun temple. Later, Hua Yanjun began to smoke opium and go whoring because he made friends carelessly. Later, he suffered from eye disease and became blind. He was unable to take part in his old work, so he made a living by performing arts on the street. A Bing’s impromptu performance not only achieved the self-reported Elegy of “Er Quan Ying Yue”, but also the appreciation mentality and rose to a sense of common destiny. His concern for the world, his reflection on himself and his sufferings make it easy for some people to compare him with Beethoven.