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Alice Yan

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.

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.

“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.

The news has prompted a heated online debate.
“This water is magical! Buying it can demonstrate the level of your IQ, ha,” said one online observer.
Another person said: “Why not sell the air from the university? I bet many parents would buy it.”
Students in China need to sit an extremely challenging entrance examination, known as “gaokao” in Chinese, before being admitted to universities.
More than 13 million students took the test in June this year.


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Online advertisements claim staring at so-called special water can ‘boost your spirits’, urging buyers not to drink it


Online advertisements claim staring at so-called special water can ‘boost your spirits’, urging buyers not to drink it.


Social media

Peking University

China online shops sell ‘wisdom-inspiring’ water from Peking University lake

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Online advertisements claim staring at so-called special water can ‘boost your spirits’, urging buyers not to drink it

Online advertisements claim staring at so-called special water can ‘boost your spirits’, urging buyers not to drink it