Friday, July 2, 2010

Blind faith in back to nature?

Chongqing
As well as being provincial capital Chongqing was formerly a part of Sichuan province.
It is said that Chongqing is famous for it's hot springs:
'There are dozens of them located throughout the city. The water temperatures at them are kept at 35-37 degrees Celsius (95-98 degrees Fahrenheit). People have been coming to Chongqing for centuries to visit the local hot springs due to the high mineral content of the waters. It is said that the alkali minerals found in the waters have beneficial medicinal properties, which are said to be effective in curing arthritis, and skin diseases'.
With dozens of them located within the confines of the city we can't expect very natural conditions and that's not the reason I've decided to include these hot springs in this blog. After reading you'll know ...

As well as there being so many located close to the city, the locals also have problems in giving them names and as such we end up with the hot springs of the four wind directions.

South, West, North
Info on Chongqing's South hot spring.
'The Southern Hot Springs Park has about 110 bathrooms and three swimming pools - outdoor and indoor swimming pools with one for children. The hot springs contain abundant minerals and taking a hot spring bath can rejuvenate body metabolism and cure some diseases, such as those of the skin, arthritis and rheumatism'.
Info on the North hot spring:
'There are ten springs altogether in the park and the temperature of the water is a constant 35-37 degrees C. The water contains alkali minerals that are considered as having beneficial medicinal properties. The warm water offers an excellent way to relax from the stresses of day to day existence and it also benefits those who suffer from skin problems, arthritis and many other common ailments. Apart from a standard swimming pool there are 75 indoor bathrooms, a newly built triangular indoor swimming pool and a play pool for children'.
Info on Chongqing Central hot spring is a lot sparser, in fact there's just one mention.

Tongliang is the name given to the western hot spring(s?). The hot springs are
'located at Xiquan Town, twenty kilometers south of Tongliang county . ... As early as the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), the poet Meng Huai wrote a few lines in admiration of the spring'.
Back to nature?
Ba'nan
is the name given to
the hot spring otherwise known as the East hot spring. Ba'nan seems to be more different than most hot springs. Since three years it organizes hot spring festivals, though it's unsure what it actually entails. They must be pretty desperate because last years issue was reported as follows:
'The 2nd edition of the « Ba'nan Hot Springs Tourism Cultural Festival » near Chongqing has opened on monday. The organizers invited eight pretty models to celebrate the back-to-nature theme by bathing naked...'.
It's unclear whether this was a poor attempt to gain coverage or reflects the reality of soaking here. In the 'Getting Naked: Nudism in China' article, published earlier this year, Ba'nan hot spring merits this paragraph:
'... in Sichuan Province, nudism seems to be all the rage. Chongqing Girls Nude Bathing Area sounds more like the title of a dodgy DVD, but it’s actually an area set aside for women in the Ba’nan District’s tranquil East Spring Village. The pool has been in use since the Ming Dynasty, and its water is said to cure blindness. If you fancy a dip, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s open to tourists. Female ones'.
Why only females beats me. Despite this often referred to article, there seems little or none other proof that this practice really exists.
Big plans are underway for this set of springs, though the development report is chaotic.

Nice pic, but what's the subscript mention?
'@chongqing's XX spring
wiz rachel
by:zong
infact,the water was cold and dirty that day'.
By Ruby's illusion .

Others
Then there are hot springs in
Tongjing, Yubei district not one of the four wind direction hot springs, but the fifth pearl no less.
'Tongjing Hot Spring is world famous, hailed as the best hot springs in China'.
Other hot springs are
- Beidiyiyuan (mention),
- Haitangxiaoyue (mention),
- New Orient Hot Spring Hotel (tripadvisor),
- Sun Kingdom Hot Spring Golf Club (golfing asia),
- Sunshine Hot Spring Resort Hotel in Ba'nan (Chinatraveldepot),
- Brilliant Spa (website),
- Tianci Hot Spring Resort (travbuddy) and
-
Haiyu Hot Spring Hotel Chongqing (travelpod).

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