Sanyanjing Well in Shouxian

Sanyanjing Well in Shouxian

Sanyanjing Well in Shouxian is a cultural relic protected by the Huainan Municipal Government.

Sanyanjing Well in Shouxian is a key historical relic under protection in Shouxian County, Anhui Province. It is located next to residential houses in Nanguoyue Lane on East Street, right beside a bustling vegetable market and small commodity stalls. Every day, the well, its edge etched with countless rope marks, is surrounded by people drawing water and washing. With its excellent location and the ability to draw water from three different openings, the well truly provides great convenience to this densely populated area.

In the ancient city of Shouxian, at least before the 1970s and prior to the availability of tap water, wells remained the primary source of drinking water for residents. Every morning and evening, the sight of people drawing water, washing rice, and doing laundry by the wells became an indispensable part of street life. Even as we stepped into the 21st century, wells continued to function alongside tap water. Historical records indicate that as early as the Warring States period, the people of ancient Shouchun had pottery-ringed wells. By the Song Dynasty, with the reinforcement of the city walls, brick wells were dug to provide drinking water for residents, a practice that became popular during the Ming Dynasty. According to statistics, before 1958, there were still 179 brick wells from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in the urban area. These were mainly distributed in densely populated areas such as East Main Street and South Main Street, as well as the northwest corner of North Main Street and the southwest corner of West Main Street where residents were concentrated. It is recorded that in front of the Wu Xiang Bao Dian (Hall of Boundless Treasures) at the Shouxian Mosque, located in Qingzhen Si Lane on West Main Street, there was an ancient well topped with an Arabic-style well cover. The grooves carved by countless ropes on the well’s edge offer a glimpse into its long history. The Shouxian Mosque was built during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, and it is said that when the mosque was constructed, a well was also dug to facilitate daily life. Based on this, it is estimated that the mosque’s well is over 400 years old. The Muslim community in Shouxian mostly resides near Qingzhen Si Lane at the southwest corner of South Main Street, so many local Hui people come here to draw water as a sign of purity. There is another well inside the second gate of the mosque, but it has dried up and become silted—no one knows exactly why.

Sanyanjing Well in Shouxian has a history of several hundred years, and its water remains clear and sweet to this day. According to records, the systems of the Yuan and Ming dynasties continued the establishment of a postal relay network. During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, there were 10 postal stations in Shouzhou. Nanguoyue Lane and Beiguoyue Lane served as places for couriers and soldiers delivering messages to rest and feed their horses, and naturally, these included wells. Even if the well was originally built when the postal station was established, Sanyanjing Well must still be around 400 years old.