A place where gods watch over them

A natural spring that acts as the source of the Fenhe River in Ningwu county, northwestern Shanxi is celebrated as an auspicious place.

The Fenhe, flowing north to south, is renowned as the province's mother river, with 50 percent of its people relying on it for their drinking water.

It's quite clear that the Chinese revere water and respect the life it gives them, so, it's no wonder the source of the Fenhe even has a three-tiered temple where the Gods can watch over it.

There was a light rain falling as we continued to amble along the river as the evening approached and the air and row of willows and constant flow of the river gave us background music and a serene, peaceful, relaxing mood.

Near the source there was a small temple with a sacred stone well in its inner sanctum, where some of the braver members of our group got a taste of the pristine water from a wooden bucket lowered down into it with a little pulley. It was cold and refreshing and tasted pure.

In the dimly-lit cramped space, one group member had a close encounter with a spider while he was sharing his feelings about the trip. I wonder whether the spider has recovered.

For us, a temple where one can adore nature is really a remarkable way to pay one's respects. The Buddhist temple perched up above is associated with the spring, making this place more historical.

People around these parts consider the spring water as holy and believe that the water brings good fortune to those with a newborn child if the water is used for bathing it.

In any case, the clean natural spring water is full of minerals so of course it may mean good fortune for us all.

By Guda Krishnakumar, from New Zealand, head of Strategic Partnerships and M&A, Ericsson China; and Ramu Maheswaran, from India, guest service executive at Hotel Nikko Wuxi.

(China Daily 09/09/2016 page19)