36°40′2.20″N 117°1′3.87″E / 36.6672778°N 117.0177417°E / 36.6672778; 117.0177417

Palace Pool in November 2008

The Zhuoying Spring (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhuóyīng Quán, literally "washing out the tassel spring") is a culturally significant artesian karst spring located in historical center of the city of Jinan, Shandong Province, China. It is listed among the 72 famous springs (Chinese: ; pinyin: Qīshí'èr Míng Quán) of Jinan (as number 19.).[1] The spring forms a large spring pool, the Palace Pool (Chinese: ; pinyin: Wángfǔ Chízǐ), that is used as a public outdoor swimming pool.

The name "Zhuoying Spring" comes from a poem from Mencius, "Li Lou Shang" (Chinese: ; pinyin: Lí Lóu Shàng), that contains the phrase "wash out the tassel" (Chinese: ; pinyin: zhuó yīng).[1]

When the army of the Jin dynasty invaded Jinan moving southward into the territory of the Southern Song dynasty, the local garrison commander, Guan Sheng (Chinese: ; pinyin: Guān Shèng), refused to surrender. A bloody battle ensued and the soldiers washed the textile decorations of their lancets in the Palace Pool.[1]

The name "Palace Pool" dates back to the time of the Ming dynasty, when the De Wang Palace (Chinese: ; pinyin: Dé Wáng) was constructed at the site and the spring pool was included into its grounds.[1] Today, the pool lies in a historical residential neighborhood with private residences on the water edge.

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