Last summer in Xian, (home of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors) we went to a fountain billed as “The Largest Fountain in Asia!”
This fountain was pretty intense. It went down an entire city block, with tiers of leveled fountain areas ending in a giant pool of water at the bottom. Each tier had only a slight lip for a railing and people were not only allowed, but encouraged to run around and get sprayed. (During the day the fountains go on and off at random times making for adorable just-got-splashed shots of kids.)
But at night was when the fountain really shone. (Literally and figuratively.) At night they would have a synchronized music and light show. It went on for over 30 minutes and the crowd spent the whole time ooh-ing and aww-ing. It was pretty spectacular…I think. The place was so crowded every time we went we could barely see anything except the bottom fountain which shot hundreds of feet in the air.
But luckily I don’t need that fountain to keep me entertained. I have one closer to home. There is a fountain in Hangzhou in the famous and scenic West Lake. While not as grand or as large as the Xi’an fountain, it is still fun to watch. It’s synchronized to a variety of songs, from traditional Chinese music to the Beatles.  I’ve seen it a few times, and every time I have enjoyed it.
My mom came to visit recently and during the day we were riding bikes by the fountain. It was daylight, but the seats were out and people were waiting for the show to start. Apparently the show began not a sundown, but in the late afternoon. so we stayed, and we watched, but there isn’t a whole lotta fun in a hazy daytime fountain show. I would count this as a fountain FAIL.
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