Immortal Righteous Well

Immortal Righteous Well

The Immortal Righteous Well is located in the center of the old village, at the midpoint of the ancient village path, and is an auxiliary structure (or rather, a complementary feature) to the most magnificent architectural complex ruins in the village — the “Great Taoist Altar.” According to research in recent years, this well is believed to be a remnant of the residence of Chancellor Qian Shuoyou from over 700 years ago. There is no doubt that this well is the oldest man-made structure in Xingwang Village. It continued to serve its unique function until the first seven or eight years of the 21st century, before eventually falling into disuse due to pollution and the widespread availability of tap water in the village.

The well’s curb was hollowed out from a single piece of rock measuring five feet square. The four characters “仙人义井” (Immortal Righteous Well) are engraved on the four sides of the curb, though the inscriptions have become somewhat blurred. Upon close inspection, the characters for “井” (well) and “人” (person) are still fairly recognizable. The character “义” (righteous), in its traditional form, still clearly shows the upper part “羊” (sheep), but the lower part “我” (I/self) is almost entirely illegible. The character “仙” (immortal) has faded to the point where only the person radical remains. The water in the well is exceptionally sweet, surpassing that of drinking water sources across the surrounding hundred-mile area. Even before modern times, the water of Xingwang Village was widely renowned for its quality.

The well now serves only one ceremonial purpose: during the Lantern Festival in Xingwang Village, the lead lantern must pause here for incense offerings and worship to the Fairy Lady (Well Deity) residing in the well. Aside from this, it holds no practical use and is currently under the voluntary protection of villagers.

Xingwang Village: Xingwang Village boasts a long history, with people gathering here as early as the Song Dynasty. By the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1578), Wang Renqi, the seventh-generation descendant of the Sanhuai Hall and also known as Wang Rensun (or Wang Sun), led his wife and children to relocate from Sanbu near the Dalin Zhangshu Bridge in Xianju to the foot of today’s Yuping Mountain. Since then, the land has flourished, with descendants thriving continuously. Later, the Li family also migrated here from Baotang in Fujian.

Xingwang Village was historically known as Zhenxi Tangtou, a name derived from its location along the banks of Zhenxi (True Stream), with the local place name “Shuitangtou” (Water Pond Head) still in use today. As the village was predominantly inhabited by the Wang clan and situated geographically above Shuhong Township, ... Xingwang Village detailed information++