Qiantang No. 1 Well

Qiantang No. 1 Well

Qiantang No. 1 Well is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Qiantang No. 1 Well (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Period: Five Dynasties

Announcement Date: March 16, 2005

The well is about 4 meters deep with an inner diameter of over 1 meter, and a static water level of approximately 1.8 meters. The well walls are built with dressed stone blocks, the well curb is cemented, and the floor is paved with imitation square bricks. The well ring is a hexagonal cement structure, 32 cm high, with an inner diameter of 34 cm. It is surrounded on three sides by a two-story watchtower building with a horse-stable layout, constructed in brick and wood in a residential style, which can be identified as being from the Republican era based on its architectural style.

The ancient well and the former site of the Dragon King Temple face west and are laid out in a concave shape. Five wells are located in the central courtyard, with a boundary stone nearby inscribed with “Ancient Big Well Boundary.” The main well was dug during the Wu-Yue Kingdom of the Five Dynasties by the monk De Shao. Initially, it had a circumference of four zhang (approximately 13 meters), making it very large, and had no cover on the opening, and was known as the “No. 1 Spring of Wu Hill.” During the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, people often fell into the well and drowned, so Grand Commandant Dong Dezhi covered the well with a large stone slab, leaving six openings. In the seventh year of the Chunyou era (1247) of the Southern Song Dynasty, when Hangzhou suffered a severe drought, this well alone did not dry up. During the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty, the well openings were changed to five, and for a thousand years it has never run dry, benefiting the livelihoods and daily needs of the people. It stands as a vital testament to the ancient people of Hangzhou's efforts in water conservancy and transforming nature.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units