You haven't experience Chongqing until you pay a visit to its famous Northern Hot Springs Park which is considered to be the pearl of the Jialing River.
The park, located at the foot of Jinyun Mountain north of the Jialing River, is about 52 kilometers (32miles) from the city center. It's area is about 10 hectares (25 acres) and is Chongqing's best garden park. This is where you will find scenery filled with temples, hills, streams, forests, springs, gorges, caves, etc.
At the center of the park, are four religious palaces. The Guxiang Garden, Stone Inscription Garden, Fish Pond and Water Lily Pool are all in the East. Guxiang Garden is where the Hot Springs Temple was originally located. Here, you will find tombs of monks from the Song (960-1279), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties all very well preserved. The north part of the park has caves and five ornamental ponds. All of the buildings and pavilions in the park is located elegantly in the backdrop of green bamboos, ponds and rolling hills.
As you can tell from the name, the main attraction of the park are the hot springs. The park has 10 hot spring with the water temperature around a constant 35C-37C (95.0F-98.6F). The alkali minerals in the water have beneficial medicinal properties. The warm water is not only relaxing but can help heal minor aliments. There is a standard swimming pool, a triangular pool and a child's play pool.
The plant life in this park is abundant and unique. You will find tropical evergreens, horsetail pines and bamboo groves. Flower, grass and fruit trees create the general colorfulness of the park. The park also has small animals and birds such as squirrels, rabbits, owls, crows, doves and sparrows that can pleasantly surprise you during your tour of the park.
The Northern Hot Springs Park is a great place to relax and enjoy all the treasures that nature has to offer.
