It's because I look like Paris Hilton, right?

Today, my roommate Anja and I went with Stephanie and her friend Beauty to visit some springs in downtown Jinan. There are apparently 72 springs here in Jinan, and several are quite large. Many people actually get their drinking water from the springs rather than buy it. We walked through a narrow street and then down some very non-descript stairs and suddenly we were at the river that surrounds the old section of the city. A very pleasant walkway has been constructed along the river, and there are a several springs on the side. Of course there were throngs of people, like everywhere in China, especially on the weekends, but the willows were just greening up, and the weather was very mild, so it seemed like a peaceful place.



We walked along until we got to QuanCheng square, one of Jinan’s most famous landmarks. It was totally crowded with people flying kites and playing with their children, vendors, visitors, and just everyday people doing shopping or hanging out. The two foreigners drew a lot of attention, but that is normal. If you are not Asian and you can’t handle being stared at by 100s of people every day, don’t come here.



After another 15 minutes or so, we got to Five Dragon Pool. We paid the 75 cent admission and went it. It was also crowded, but not nearly as densely. It’s a pleasant place with several springs, walkways, waterways, fish, trees, and some historical and cultural displays. There was a display of calligraphy by a famous Jinan calligrapher, Wu Zhongqi. I think the style is called Cao Shu or Running Style. It’s the rather messy free-flowing style that can be difficult even for Chinese to read. It’s my favorite style. It reminds me of a Jackson Pollock painting. There is some meaning hidden there, and if I just stare at it long enough, it will suddenly emerge, like a figure coming out of a thick fog. The lighting in the hall was dim because over time, light damages the scrolls. I was one of the only people in there and I could have stayed all afternoon, losing myself in the peaceful script. Each calligrapher has his own style and many of them do not have much effect on me. Wu Zhongqi certainly did, though. I will go back there again. This is an example of his calligraphy from a website:



We walked back into the shopping masses and found our way to the old district of Jinan, the remaining hutong area that has not been demolished for new construction. It’s an area of narrow winding alleyways, and dates from at least the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644). There were not too many people there besides the people that live there, and their families have inhabited the same small homes for centuries.




There was a famous pool in that area that a prince from long ago swam in regularly. There were a few men there swimming, and that’s where we picked up our own personal paparazzi. A maybe late-20s guy wielding a digital camera with a large lens started snapping pictures of us. First, he was very unobtrusive. I thought I was imagining it, but when he started following us, there could be no doubt. The guy followed us for almost 2 hours as we wandered the ancient alleys. He kept taking pictures, no matter what we did. I wished I’d dressed for the occasion. I got a little glimpse of what it must be like to be famous.
Beauty took some pictures of him taking pictures of us and asked him what he was doing. Apparently he was taking pictures for a magazine. Wait, don’t I get some money for that? And what could the story be about: Foreigners Visit the Hutong? How exciting. It turns out that Beauty and he were both from the same town, so they chatted for awhile…perhaps a budding romance? We stopped to buy some fresh rolls, and I offered him one, but he refused. After another 20 minutes or so, he disappeared. Very strange indeed.

For dinner, we had some delicious food, including a famous Sichuan dish Shui Zhu Yu. It’s cooked in chili oil and peppercorns with lots of red chilies. It was very delicious, but the fish is so hard to eat here because they just chop it up, head, tail, bones and all. Apparently one of the most common reasons for a hospital visit is a fish bone stuck in the throat. I was very cautious, but it makes eating a bit of a chore. We had a few other delicious dishes and then headed into an extremely windy night to return home.