Site of Longyin Spring

Site of Longyin Spring

The Site of Longyin Spring is located in Sanbali, Shuiyiyng Subdistrict, Lushunkou District.

Lushun has long been a military stronghold. Situated at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and facing Penglai and Yantai on the Shandong Peninsula across the sea, its coastal defense position is such that “it can intercept and attack enemy ships when advancing, or hold a strategic stronghold for self-defense when retreating,” making it a natural “gateway” to Beijing and Tianjin. In the late Qing Dynasty, with the threat of maritime invasion looming, the Qing government was compelled to establish a navy. While purchasing a large number of warships from abroad, it also vigorously built military harbors, gun emplacements, and other defensive facilities in key coastal cities. Thus, a historical figure became inextricably linked with Lushun. In the fifth year of the Guangxu reign, or 1879, Li Hongzhang, the Viceroy of Zhili, was tasked with constructing a base for the Beiyang Fleet in Lushun. What had been a quiet fishing village in the mountains suddenly became a bustling construction site, marking the beginning of the poignant modern history of Lushun. Li Hongzhang mobilized a large number of laborers from across the country. Starting with the construction of the Golden Hill Fort, they successively built docks, shipyards, dry docks, and other modern naval base facilities, with the peak workforce numbering over 10,000 soldiers and workers. The sudden influx of people, coupled with insufficient water supply in the city, made access to drinking water an urgent issue. Although several wells were dug nearby, the water was either brackish or the supply was insufficient, making solving the water problem a top priority. Builders discovered that several springs in Balizhuang, about ten li north of Lushunkou, produced sweet-tasting water with a particularly strong flow, and were referred to locally as “Dragon Eye Springs.” In 1879, Li Hongzhang sent people to “carve through stone to lead out the spring,” investing heavily to channel the water from “Longyin Spring” into Lushun city to provide drinking water for soldiers, civilians, and craftsmen. In October of the seventh year of Guangxu, after personally inspecting Lushun, Li Hongzhang, in his capacity as Viceroy of Zhili, submitted the “Memorial on Ordering Fast Ships to Come to China” to the imperial court for the first time. In this report, he outlined the plan for establishing the Beiyang Fleet base in Lushun and sought approval for the ongoing projects of constructing the Golden Hill Fort and carving out the spring. After the completion of the harbor construction in Lushun, Li Hongzhang explained the reason for developing Longyin Spring in his “Memorial on the Acceptance of Key Works in Lushun” submitted to the Qing court in November of the sixteenth year of Guangxu: “Furthermore, considering the inconvenience of using the brackish seawater nearby, mountain spring water was diverted over ten li, channeled through iron pipes buried underground, crossing streams and ridges, winding its way to the harbor dock, to supply soldiers, civilians, and craftsmen with water day and night, preventing the outbreak of disease due to unclean drinking water.” The inscription on the Longyin Spring stele faithfully records this history: “Lushunkou is a key stronghold of the Beiyang Fleet. Over the years, by imperial decree, efforts have been made to construct gun emplacements, dry docks, and to station joint navy and army bureaus, troops, craftsmen, and various workshops and battery units, as well as to accommodate visiting warships. These require large amounts of fresh water daily. Despite drilling dozens of wells in the surrounding areas over the years, the water is either brackish or the springs are not abundant. Upon investigation, it was found that ten li north of Lushunkou, in a place called Balizhuang, there are several springs that converge into a square pond, locally known as Dragon Eye Spring. The water is abundant and does not dry up even during droughts. Diverting just half of it would be sufficient to meet the water needs of the army, navy, and workshops.”

Li Hongzhang might never have imagined that when the clear waters of Longyin Spring gushed into the Lushun Harbor, the base of the Beiyang Fleet, it had become China’s first urban water supply project. His dedication to building the Beiyang Fleet base and developing Longyin Spring is evident in his “Memorial on Ordering Fast Ships to Come to China” from the seventh year of Guangxu: “I, along with my staff, landed to survey the area. The strategic importance of this harbor truly lies in the critical position of the Beiyang region... Previously assigned officials, together with German officer Hannagen, managed the construction. The project of carving through stone to lead out the spring is already mostly completed, and the remaining bureaus, workshops, dry docks, and other facilities will be constructed in phases as funds become available.”

The construction of the Longyin Spring water source project lasted nine years. After two phases of work, a collection reservoir was built, a tunnel stretching 728 meters was constructed, 18 wells were drilled, and 6,810 meters of cast iron pipes were laid. By 1882, water was brought to Lushun Harbor. Without delay, two reservoirs were built within the harbor, 8,352 meters of distribution pipes were laid, and 18 water extraction machines were installed. The entire project was completed in the fourteenth year of Guangxu, or 1888, forming a relatively complete water supply system with a daily output of 1,500 cubic meters. The Longyin Spring water supply system not only served the military harbor and hospital but also provided water for urban residents, making it a typical modern urban water supply facility. It was no longer just a spring for drinking and irrigation; by building ponds to collect and elevate the water level and laying pipes to channel the water into the harbor, it became China’s first urban water supply project, drawing worldwide attention. From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, during the Russian and Japanese occupations of Lushun, to meet the growing water demands of the military and residents, while fully utilizing the Longyin Spring water source and developing new ones, the original water supply system of Longyin Spring underwent multiple renovations and expansions. The total length of water collection tunnels was extended by nearly 1,400 meters, and over 3,600 meters of new 250-mm-diameter water pipes were added, significantly increasing the water supply. As the sounds of gunfire faded and the smoke of battle cleared, in the more than half a century following liberation, Lushun’s urban water supply industry saw significant development. Especially after the reform and opening-up, keeping pace with the rapid advancement of the city’s water supply infrastructure, Lushun’s water supply facilities also increased substantially. With the completion of the “Yinshui from Pi” and “Yinshui from Ying” projects bringing water to Dalian, Lushun’s water supply capacity reached 30,000 cubic meters, thus ending the era of scheduled water supply in Lushun.

Protected Area: Within 20 meters around the Longyin Spring Stele.

Construction Control Zone: A Class III construction control zone extending 100 meters beyond the protected area.

Shuiyiyng Subdistrict: Shuiyiyng Subdistrict is located in Lushunkou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, situated at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and in the center of Lushun. It is the location of the district government and Party committee. To the north, it echoes the central urban area of Dalian; to the south, it connects to the Yangtouwa Port, a train-ferry harbor for the Yantai-Dalian route. It is 32 km from Dalian International Airport, 40 km from Dalian Port, 12 km from Yangtouwa Port, and 2 km from the Tuyang Expressway exit. Three major roads—Lushun North Road, Lushun Middle Road, and Lushun South Road—intersect and run through the subdistrict directly to Dalian. The Tuyang Expressway runs through the entire area, and the successful trial voyage of the Yantai-Dalian train ferry has formed... More details about Shuiyiyng Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Liaoning Province