Hupao Spring, Spring and park in Hangzhou, China

Dreaming of the Tiger Spring is a natural spring in southwestern Hangzhou featuring stone carvings of two tigers and a sleeping monk statue near clear water sources. The site includes several small pools and shaded areas surrounded by bamboo groves and older trees.

According to legend, wild tigers pawed the ground here in the 9th century to open water for a hermit living in the area, which gave the spring its name. The spring later supplied the Dinghui Monastery that stood nearby, and it is closely tied to the 13th-century monk Ji Gong, whose remains are still enshrined close by.

The water here serves as a vital ingredient for making Longjing tea, a regional specialty deeply connected to local life and traditions. You can see how this tea shapes daily practices and gatherings among people in the area.

The site opens daily and is easily accessible on foot with well-maintained paths throughout the park. Visitors enter through the main entrance where information about the area is available.

The spring's water seeps from quartzite and has long been rated among China's finest, which is why locals use it to brew Longjing tea. The name comes from a less common sense of the verb 跑 (páo): not running, but the pawing of animals, after tigers said to have pawed the ground here for a hermit.