Rush to adopt famed spring names
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-04-08 22:29

Companies are rushing to adopt names of newly nominated springs located in Ji'nan, East China's Shandong Province, to register them as brands for their products and services, hoping the move will add value to their products.

Names of more than 30 of the springs have already been trademarked by business groups from across the country.

Li Shixin, director of Jinan Famous Springs Protection and Management Office, points out companies are hustling for brand values which they believe can turn into actual revenues.

Jade Spring, has been registered by 61 companies in 32 product categories. The renowned Baotu Spring, has been branded by 41 companies in 20 categories.

Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong Province, is known as the City of Springs. It currently has 733 water sources, 95 per cent of which are still gushing.

Four springs are historically famous, including Baotu.

Last Friday, Jinan put forward a new list of its 72 famous springs to the world. The new list replaces and renames 29 old ones that had been buried or disappeared because of historical or geological changes.

The new springs were selected after six years of input from local citizens, field investigation an devaluations.

Springs were re-nominated three times, respectively during the Jin (1115-1234), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Li said the springs have a historical status, natural environment and tourism value, and are expected to help create business opportunities.

In recent years, the local government has made efforts to keep the springs flowing by setting up large reservoirs to augment the city's water supplies, closing home wells and increasing charges on water used for industrial purposes.

Li warned some fountains at relatively high levels might dry up during the week-long Labour Day holiday beginning on May 1.

But normal spouting of the fountains is possible if local rainfall reaches the average output of previous years.

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