The Five Springs Mountain Park (Wuquan shan gonyuan) is, along with it's neighbor Lanshan Park, a pretty area of mountain scenery, artificial temples and winding paths. These two spots will take up a good day and are a worthy rest away from the bustle of the strip of city that can be seen from below.

The park is named after the five springs that can be found at the foot of the mountain, to the south of the city. Legend has it that a General from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), Huo Qubing, stabbed his sword into the ground after finding no water for his horses or himself. The five springs erupted from here and are still flowing today.

The park contains many temples and pavilions, mostly of Qing Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) origin, as well as tea-houses, art-exhibition halls and pools. Of these, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) Jingang Palace (Jingan gong) and Temple of Reverent Solemnity (Chongqing si) are the best. The first contains a magnificent 16ft bronze Buddha cast in 1370 AD, while the latter houses an ancient bronze bell, 10 feet high and weighing 5 tons, that dates back to 1202 AD.

The best time to come here would have to be during the summer months, when the temperature is almost always a few degrees C. cooler than the city. If action is your thing, there is an annual Temple Fair every year around mid-May (8th April by the traditional Chinese calendar). Locals celebrate with general festivity and a pretty flower exhibition. During the Spring Festival (Chun jie), the Chinese traditional New Year (near the start of February), a Lantern Festival takes place in the park.

How to get Five Springs Mountain Park : From the railway station, first take trolley bus No.31 or 34 and get off at Wuquan Shan, the fourth stop (alternatively bus No.8 terminates here from Jiuquan lu). Walk west to Wuquan Lu. Turn left and walk about 750m to the ticket office of Wuquan Park.