Jinshan Ancient Well

Jinshan Ancient Well

The Jinshan Ancient Well is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

The Jinshan Ancient Well is located in Jinshan Village, Mazhan Town, Cangnan County. It was collectively funded and built by villagers in the second year of the Jingding era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1261), and has a history of over 700 years. The well opening is circular, surrounded by an arched granite well curb. An opening on the northeast side allows for convenient water drawing, and the outer wall of the well curb on the north side bears inscriptions marking the construction date. However, these are severely eroded, making the characters rather blurred. The inner wall of the well is built with irregularly shaped stone blocks. The well is about 3 meters deep, with a flat bottom. The opening of the well curb is slightly above the water surface, and horizontally laid granite stone slabs serve as a water drawing platform.

Extending from the water drawing platform outward, a straight trench leads to the Pumen River. The trench is 1.2 meters wide and 1.5 meters deep, with a current surviving length of 8.3 meters. The walls of the trench are built with granite slabs. Every approximately 1.5 meters, a slab is laid horizontally across the trench to allow people on both sides to pass. The trench is functionally divided from upstream to downstream into sections for drinking water, washing rice and vegetables, laundry, and washing tools. This thoughtful design is preserved in relatively good condition. To this day, the well water remains crystal clear and is still used by many villagers.

Mazhan Town: The “Four Seasons Pomelo,” also known as “Sijipao,” earned its name for being able to bloom and bear fruit multiple times a year. The original Cangnan Four Seasons Pomelo comes from Xiakui Village, Kuili Township, Mazhan District, Cangnan County. It was cultivated in the Qing Dynasty during the Qianlong era by Zhou Zhizhen of Kuili, who selected and bred it from ordinary seedling pomelos. It has a history of over 200 years, and in Xiakui Village, Mazhan Town, there still remains an old tree that is over 150 years old.

　In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Four Seasons Pomelo was already known as a “celestial delicacy” and was offered as tribute or given as a precious gift. However, due to limitations in productivity and the small-scale farming economy at the time, its cultivation developed slowly and it was mainly grown around houses. Liberation... More details about Mazhan Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units