The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Buildings at Jinshui Well

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Buildings at Jinshui Well

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Buildings at Jinshui Well are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Buildings at Jinshui Well are located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

Jinshui Well, a place name in Nanjing, is a small east-west street adjacent to the Confucius Temple. According to the "Jiangning County Annals," during the Ming Dynasty, when Nanjing suffered a severe drought and the river dried up, residents dug a well here for water. Unexpectedly, they found sand in the well, and among the sand were shimmering gold particles. Hence, the well was named Jinshui Well, and the place name also originated from this.

Historical records indicate that No. 36 Jinshui Well was originally the residence of Wang Shiduo, a renowned scholar of the late Qing Dynasty. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom established its capital in Nanjing, an official building was constructed on the ruins of Wang’s home—this is the ancient architectural complex that has stood for over 400 years. A traditional house built with aged blue bricks, one enters through a grand entrance with a concave, eight-character-shaped recessed niche. Walking forward, you pass through the main hall and can see the main beam carved with scrolling vine patterns, as well as the trough head adorned with a beast featuring a phoenix head and dragon body, its patterns vividly lifelike. Moving straight through four rows of single-story houses, an ancient two-story building comes into view. Over time, these historic houses before us have now become important physical materials for studying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom revolution.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Jiangsu Province