A magical fountain appears in Kunlun Mountains, unfrozen all year round at an altitude of 3,800 meters, revered as the Kunlun Sacred Spring

Regarding springs, China has many famous springs, such as Baotu Spring in Jinan, Zhong Leng Spring in Zhenjiang, Hu Pao Spring in Hangzhou, Guanyin Yang in Suzhou, and Yu Spring in Beijing, all renowned across the country. After traveling extensively and visiting all the famous springs under heaven, the Tea Sage Lu Yu also selected his top ten springs in the world: Gulian Spring, Huishan Stone Spring, Lanxi Stone Water, Lu Yu Spring, Daming Temple Spring, Zhaoyin Spring, Bai Ru Spring, Hongya Waterfall, Huai River Source, and Longchi Water. Are these springs good? Of course, but this list is somewhat biased, because the Tea Sage did not truly travel the entire world, so there are limitations. For example, the Iceberg Dew in the depths of the Kunlun Mountains was overlooked.

Iceberg Dew, also known as Nacitai Clear Spring, is located deep in the Kunlun Mountains, renowned as the ancestor of all mountains, beside the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in Nacitai Town, Golmud, Qinghai, about 90 kilometers from downtown Golmud. The spring water comes from snow melting from peaks over 5,000 meters, filtered through underground streams layer by layer.

Nacitai means 'platform in the swamp' in Tibetan, with an altitude of over 3,700 meters. What is truly amazing is that this spring gushes upward continuously regardless of spring, summer, autumn, winter, or severe cold and heat. Even in winter, when the outside is covered in snow and ice for thousands of miles, the Nacitai Spring still flows without ceasing, earning it the reputation of Kunlun Unfrozen Spring.

Due to the high altitude, no pollution, and spring water sourced from glacial melt, the water of Nacitai Spring is cold and sweet, clear, warm in winter and cool in summer. When we visited in July, the spring water felt like it had ice added, very refreshing to drink. According to relevant data, the spring has a large and stable flow rate of 224.7 liters per second, with a mineralization degree of less than 0.5 grams per liter. It is a carbonate calcium, magnesium, and sodium type water containing a variety of trace elements beneficial to the human body. It is a rare large-scale high-quality strontium-containing drinking mineral water in the world, and long-term consumption can prevent diseases, so it is revered as the Kunlun Sacred Spring by local people.

It is said that the spring used to be open-air, but later developed eastern provinces provided funding to aid its construction, building a wellhead, corridors, and a cultural wall, turning it into a free tourist attraction. The wall has introductions and historical stories about the spring.

Among the most famous is the story of Princess Wencheng. According to legend, when Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty was on her way to Tibet, she encountered a sandstorm in Golmud and could not proceed. She placed the Buddha statue she had brought from Chang'an on a platform and worshiped devoutly, praying to the Kunlun Sacred Mountain. Miraculously, the wind and sand disappeared, and a clear spring gushed forth in front of the Buddha statue. This is the Kunlun Sacred Spring we see today.

Today, the Kunlun Sacred Spring not only gushes all year round and remains unfrozen in all seasons, but it also serves as drinking water for local people and as a blessing spring for drivers traveling between Qinghai and Tibet. When we visited, we happened to meet several truck drivers collecting water here. They said that they drive on the Qinghai-Tibet line regularly, and that the spring water is excellent and drinkable directly. Every time they pass by, they fill a bucket, and fill another on the way back, basically not needing to buy water.

Besides the main spring, the Kunlun Sacred Spring has several smaller springs nearby. The main spring's water is for drinking, while the local people use water from the smaller springs to wash vegetables and fruits, which can be eaten directly after washing. It is really luxurious to wash vegetables with mineral water.

The Kunlun Sacred Spring is not really a tourist attraction, just a small episode on our journey. I don't know if it is the highest fountain in the world, but at an altitude of over 3,700 meters, surrounded by near-desert, having such a magical spring is itself a natural wonder. It not only nurtures the simple and kind-hearted local people, but also brings surprises and coolness to travelers like us. As a return, I introduce it to everyone through the internet. If you have a chance to go to Hoh Xil, be sure to come here and get a bucket of spring water to taste the sweetness of the Kunlun Sacred Spring.