The legend of Meishuiquan is an intangible cultural heritage protection project in Shaanxi Province, and is spread in Ganquan County, Yan'an, Shaanxi. There is a spring at the foot of Shenlin Mountain, five kilometers southwest of Ganquan County. The water is gushing and clear, and the taste is sweet. Drinking it makes you feel relaxed and happy. Emperor Yang of Sui named it Meishuiquan, and there is a beautiful story behind it. The word "Ganquan" was first seen in "Gou Ziyao's Question" "Confucius said: Is it the lower one of man? Is it like soil? Dig deep and you will get Ganquan." It means sweet spring water. "Book of Sui" and "Zizhi Tongjian" record that "there was an ancient Meishui spring at the foot of Shenlin Mountain 3.5 kilometers away from the city." "Taiping Huanyu Ji" records that "Ganquan is on the cliff valley in the south of the county. The spring is one zhang above the ground, and it flows down rapidly. The taste is sweet. Emperor Yang of Sui visited here and drank it, and took it into the palace." In the Tang Dynasty, because the spring water tasted delicious and sweet, the county was named after the spring. In the first year of Tianbao (742 AD), Fulu County was renamed Ganquan County. The tombstone of Li Ji in Zhaoling Mausoleum records that the water of Meishui Spring was used by the imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty. The Jiaqing edition of "Yan'an Prefecture Records Volume 9" records: "The beautiful water of Ganquan is seven miles southwest of the county, in the Meishui ditch on the west side of Taihuang Mountain. The spring is ten feet above the ground, with rapid streams and gushing out, and its taste is sweet. Emperor Yang of Sui visited here to drink it and took it into the palace." The Kangxi edition of "Yan'an Prefecture Records Volume 10" records "A poem by the famous scholar Wu Rui praising the spring: Pu Pu is on the horse, drinking the beautiful water of Ganquan. Remove the roots and break the stone to steal, and the jade liquid helps to whip. I don't envy Lu's same habit, but I still miss Lu Yu's cooking. The wind is under my armpits, and I still feel the excitement lingering." "Ganquan Local Records" "The beautiful water originates from Shenlin Mountain in the west of the county. The spring is ten feet above the ground, with rapid streams and gushing out, and its taste is sweet. It is used to make dishes, and it does not change its taste even in the hot summer. It is also very fragrant when brewing tea. The emperor visited here, drank from it, and was given the name "Beautiful Spring" and brought into the Forbidden City, so the county got its name from it. Later generations suffered from the difficulty of transporting it, so they imprisoned the spring. "The inscription on the Ganquan Stele in Ganquan County, which was rebuilt in the 23rd year of the Republic of China, says, "There are many scenic spots in the county, and Ganquan is the best. One day, I happened to visit here, and the villagers boiled tea for me. It tasted sweet. The spring is seven miles southwest of the county, in the famous Meishuigou. The spring is ten feet above the ground, and the stream is surging. Emperor Yang of Sui visited here and drank from it, and brought it into the Forbidden City. The laborers who delivered water were constantly carrying it on their backs, and countless people died of starvation and exhaustion. Later, a county magistrate felt sorry for the people's hard work and imprisoned the spring. "Emperor Yang of Sui was on a hunting tour in the north, and came to the border of Diaoyin County. When he passed by Fu Village, he met a beautiful woman named Bo Ji. Emperor Yang was moved and immediately chose her as his concubine. Bo Ji was smart and beautiful, and Emperor Yang loved her very much. So he ordered the craftsmen to build a palace and villa in Fu Village, and at the same time built a mansion and a town. In the next summer, Emperor Yang visited Fu Village again to escape the summer heat, and was surrounded by civil and military guards. In the villa, Bo Ji took advantage of Emperor Yang's happiness and proposed to go up the mountain for fun. Emperor Yang usually had a hobby of hunting, so he agreed immediately and asked his attendants to carry bows and arrows to hike up the mountain together. Along the way, Emperor Yang and Bo Ji talked and laughed, and they arrived at Shenlin Mountain without realizing it. Looking from a distance, there are mountains and peaks; looking from a close distance, there are towering ancient pines, a beautiful mountain scenery. Suddenly, with a "puff", a pair of strange birds flew towards them. Their chests and necks were white, their feet and tails were red, and there were fan-shaped feather crowns on their heads. They were petite and very beautiful and charming. Bo Ji was even more excited. She said, "Beautiful, beautiful!" and pulled Emperor Yang's sleeve, "Your Majesty, look, a strange bird!" Seeing that his concubine liked it very much, Emperor Yang quickly drew his arrow and put on his bow. Bo Ji pulled Emperor Yang and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, I want to keep it alive!" Emperor Yang really took back his bow and arrow and ordered his entourage to capture it. Although they were numerous and powerful, heroes had no place to use their skills. No one could fly. No matter how they shouted and surrounded the birds, they could not do anything for a long time. The pair of strange birds seemed to be teasing them on purpose, flying and falling. When they were about to reach the foot of the mountain, the birds seemed tired and could not fly, so they landed on a short tree and did not move. Emperor Yang signaled to avoid them, tiptoed, and when they were about to reach them, he dodged and caught them with both hands. Bo Ji couldn't wait to pry open Emperor Yang's hands. "Ah!" She screamed, "Your Majesty, your hands." Everyone gathered around to see that the magical bird was gone, the emperor's fingers were bleeding, and his robe was torn. The attendants were shocked and at a loss. Emperor Yang looked and laughed, "The divine bird points the way, and blood is seen when hunting. It's a good omen! Good omen! Go and find out what pierced my clothes and hands?" Bo Ji took a look and found that the elm tree where the bird was perched was covered with more than an inch long thorns. Looking around, there was another elm forest around, which was different from the others and all had thorns. Emperor Yang said, "Strange elm." After the time was over, people were thirsty. Suddenly, they heard the gurgling of spring water. Looking around, they found that more than ten feet away from the thorny elm, there was a stone cliff ten feet above the ground, and a mountain spring was flowing. Emperor Yang drank it and immediately felt refreshed. After Bo Ji drank it, she felt sweet and mellow, with a lingering aftertaste. Everyone enjoyed it with great mouthfuls and praised it repeatedly, so Emperor Yang named it "Meishuiquan". On the way back, he passed by a small village in the valley next to the spring. More than ten families in the village had already been waiting for the emperor to come. The villagers brought water and food to Emperor Yang. When he drank tea, it was fragrant; when he drank porridge, it was fresh and fragrant; when he ate food, it was sweet and fragrant; when he made vegetables, it was rich and fragrant; when he drank wine, it was mellow and fragrant. The feast was fragrant and fragrant, and Emperor Yang kept eating and was amazed. He praised the spring water even more. Before leaving, he named the village "Meishuigou". After returning to the court, Emperor Yang had no taste for food and often thought about Meishuiquan. So he ordered Diaoyin County to be changed to Ganquan County, and at the same time ordered the magistrate of Ganquan to pay tribute to the beautiful water in Chang'an Palace for the emperor to enjoy. The tribute water must be proved by the elm thorns beside the spring. If there are no elm thorns in the water, it is considered not the spring water. The distance of thousands of miles, the rugged mountain road, is very difficult all year round. The people suffered terribly from cold to hot. Water carriers carried water on their shoulders and on their animals, queuing up in an endless stream. Due to the extravagance and debauchery of the ruling class, they did not care about the lives of the people. Many people went through life and death to deliver water, and some went without returning. Countless people died of freezing, hunger, and exhaustion on the road, and many families were broken up and in great pain. Later, a new county magistrate came to Ganquan. Seeing this scene, he could not bear the people to suffer so much, so he brought a few confidants to Meishui Spring in the dead of night, first blocked the spring with his jade seal, and poured it with cement and hardware liquid to seal it tightly. Later, he reported to the emperor that Meishui Spring had dried up, and the tribute water ended. After liberation, the people's government invested in digging the "Meishui Spring" again to divert water into the city for the residents of the county. In 1974, a jade seal with the seal "Meng Qirui" was dug out from the spring (now in the Ganquan County Museum), providing physical evidence for this legend. The legend of Meishui Spring, as a cultural resource, has a history of thousands of years. During the long historical changes, literati and scholars have created and accumulated a large number of excellent works, some of which have high historical value.