Beijinger’s understanding and pride to the Grand Canal originated from the section between Baifu Spring in Changping District and Shichahai in Xicheng District. The completion of Tonghui River in a historical， creative and scientific manner was deeply imprinted in Beijinger’s hearts rather than in history， and the culture of the Grand Canal has been passionately running in the blood of Beijinger for generations， pulsing with heartbeats. Its grand spectacle for ages has been preserved and contributed by generations of local people.

　　Baifuwengshan River
　　The name “Baifu Spring” is nothing but a new term for people who know little about the history of the Grand Canal in the Yuan Dynasty. However， for those who know a bit about history， especially the Beijinger， it boasts mystery and familiarity， pride and power. The spring is located on a small hill called “Long Hill”， which is close to the urban area of Changping. During the reign of Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty， Guo Shoujing， a historically-renowned scientist， arrived here with his team members to investigate the spring， which was then tightly connected to the Grand Canal and its history. With a height of only 70 meters （150 meters as someone said）， Long Hill is of soil and rock， dwarfed by the family of towering mountains and peaks. Far from being majestic and imposing， it rises straight up lonely. Being given so many different names like Shen Hill （mysterious hill）， Longquan Hill， Fenghuang Hill and Baifu Hill， the Baifu Spring closely links the two major projects in Chinese history， namely the Great Wall and the Grand Canal！

　　The Great Wall and Baifu Spring are close at hand. People at the two places do not need to look far to see each other and a short drive will cover the distance between. The Great Wall， a masculine figure among high mountains and lofty hills， and Baifu Spring， a gentle， beautiful lady at the source of Tonghui River （a length of the Grand Canal）， jointly built the glorious history of Chinese civilization through the ages.

　　At present， the Baifu Spring lies in the Baifu Spring Wetland Park （covering nearly 400 hectares） as part of a heritage park， with its preservation of cultural relics and entertainment services improved consistently. However， its general outline has come into shape： the dried-out pool of the spring is now filled by clear water; streams gush from nine bluestone dragon heads hanging on the pool wall; the stone tablets and small pavilions by the spring have been refurbished; the Supreme Dragon King Temple on the hilltop has revitalized as its heyday in history; the Long Hill becomes more pleasant with water; lush trees， exuberant pines and cypresses， red leaves over hill and winding stone canals combined inject new impetus to the magnificent scenery of the Long Hill. The Wetland Park serves as a painting scroll， unfolding slowly with the vast water， the greenery of the shoals， misty willows and singing water birds.
　　It is impossible to picture Guo’s investigation on his arrival at present. By that time， there were definitely no nine dragon heads， which might be carved in the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty. Undoubtedly， the spring then could be nothing but a natural pool of abundant water， so it was taken a fancy by Guo. After investigation， Guo decided to divert the water of the Baifu Spring and other surrounding springs into the Wengshan Pond as a supplement to its water source from the Yuquan Hill. In addition， the waterway connecting to the northern part of the canal was constructed to enrich the flow into the Great Capital of the Yuan Dynasty， so cargo ships bearing grains could directly enter the city. The water scarcity for grain transportation was the common challenge faced by the Great Capital of Yuan Dynasty and the Central Capital of the Jin Dynasty. Therefore， Guo turned to the mountains and plains at the northern suburbs after investigation.

　　People who were familiar with the geography and landscape were confused that why Guo diverted the water of the Baifu Spring to Wengshan Lake： Wanshou Mountain and Yuquan Mountain are at the foot of the West Mountain， while the southeast part of Changping District is a valley. How could the water run upwards？ In fact， people neglected the altitude and the contour line on the map. As a scientist， Guo had applied the approach to the Grand Canal project before. The Baifu Spring was 15 meters higher than the Wengshan Lake， so the water finds its own level. 　　In fact， the Gaoliang River composed of two reaches. The first reach was a natural river， an old watercourse of the Gaoliang River with a hardly expected origin — the area of the present Zizhuyuan Park （Purple Bamboo Park）. It flew through the Baishi Bridge and the Gaoliang Bridge， entered the city through the Desheng Gate （Gate of Virtuous Triumph）， proceeded along the Jishuitan Lake， Shichahai Lake， Beihai Lake， Zhongnanihai Lake， passed the Zhengyang Gate （Gate of Zenith Sun） and the alley of Xianyukou， ran southeastwards from the west Longtan Lake， reached the Shibali Bridge， and emptied into the old watercourse of Yongding River at the south Maju Bridge. The second reach， namely the watercourse leading from the west Zizhuyuan to the Kunming Lake （Wengshan Pond）， was an artificial channel transformed from the old watercourse. Together with that reach of the Gaoliang River flowing through the outer area of Xizhimen in Xicheng and Haidian Districts， the watercourse was called “the Chang River， Yu River （Jade River）， Yu River （Imperial River）， or Cixi Watercourse.” Why naming it the Yu River （Jade River）？ There are two different explanations. The