Foreign Property News | Posted by Hnin Ei Khin
Online shops in China are selling “wisdom-inspiring” bottled water taken from a lake at the prestigious Peking University.
The so-called special water has captivated social media and delighted many internet users.
Sellers usually advertise it for sale on second-hand product platforms, China News Service reported.
Lake on Peking University’s campus.
It costs between 30 and 99 yuan (US$4 and US$14) for 500ml, the report said, far more expensive than normal bottled water, which sells for around 5 yuan.
Peking University is one of China’s most elite universities. It ranked 14th in the QS World University Rankings 2025, the highest among all mainland and Hong Kong universities.
Weiming Lake is one of the most recognisable landmarks on its campus.
To convince customers that the water originates from the lake, shop owners film the collection process and send the footage to buyers.
(Online shops film the collection process to prove that the water comes from the well-known lake. Photo: handout)
"The water from Weiming Lake plays a miraculous role in helping various plants grow. Putting it in your room can adjust the humidity level,” an advertisement from one shop says.
“Staring at the water every day can boost your spirits, inspire wisdom as well as make your EQ (emotional quotient) rise dramatically,” the advertisement says.
Customers are told the water is only for looking at, not for drinking. Some shops also sell soil taken from near the lake for 99 yuan per 600 grams and earth from elsewhere on the campus for 129 yuan per 900 grams.
The signatures of professors from the university are also used to boost sales on the websites of some shops.
The university’s security department said they do not allow people to take water from Weiming Lake and sell it, adding they would contact the shops involved and urge them to stop, the report said.
The department has also asked the public to tip them off about such online sales.
(Security staff at Peking University frown upon the activity and have urged online shops to stop selling the water. Photo: Shutterstock)
The news has prompted a heated online debate.
Ref: China online shops sell ‘wisdom-inspiring’ water from Peking University lake Photo Credit-handout, Shutterstock
