Ancient Well Tribute Liquor Brewing Site

Ancient Well Tribute Liquor Brewing Site

The Ancient Well Tribute Liquor Brewing Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Song to Qing Dynasties

The "Ancient Well Tribute Liquor Brewing Site" mainly consists of cellar groups from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, brewing ruins from the same periods, and two ancient wells dating back to the Wei and Song Dynasties. They form the core cultural foundation of the Ancient Well liquor brewing culture. Provincial cultural relics experts regard the "Ancient Well Tribute Liquor Brewing Site" as an industrial facility ruin that comprehensively showcases the traditional liquor brewing process. The Ming Dynasty cellars, along with some ancient wells, stoves, drying floors, distillation facilities, and other brewing-related ruins and workshops, have yielded over a hundred artifacts such as bowls, cups, plates, saucers, and jars, spanning from the Song Dynasty to the present. These artifacts recreate the entire traditional liquor brewing process of the Su-Lu-Yu-Wan region and reflect the profound liquor culture of the Central Plains and Eastern China, serving as important physical evidence of the region’s traditional brewing techniques.

Ming and Qing Brewing Ruins: Adjacent to the Ming Dynasty cellar groups. Excavated in 2009 by the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the site covers an area of 76 square meters. There are up to six layers of cultural strata accumulated from top to bottom. In layers ⑤ and ⑥, artifacts such as porcelain bowls, saucers, plates, and small-mouthed jars were unearthed, dating to the mid-Ming Dynasty; in layers ③ and ④, blue-and-white porcelain bowls, plates, and saucers with characteristics of the late Ming Dynasty were found; layer ② belongs to the late Qing Dynasty period. From the bottom up, the related unearthed artifacts indicate that brewing activities have existed in the area of the Ming Dynasty cellar groups since the Song Dynasty.

Song Dynasty Ancient Well: One well, located in the South Factory Area of the Ancient Well Co., Ltd., was discovered during the factory’s basic construction in 1992, and the Bozhou City Museum conducted emergency excavation and cleaning in the same year. The wellhead is 4 meters from the ground surface. The wellhead is circular, with a diameter of 0. [Note: Measurements appear truncated in original] The well is 4 meters deep, and the water level is 0. [Note: Measurements appear truncated in original] meters from the wellhead. The well is built of bricks (each brick is 29 cm long, 14 cm wide, and 5 cm thick). The well walls consist of horizontally laid bricks for five layers, then vertically laid for one layer. The base consists of two layers of horizontally laid bricks, and there are no bricks at the bottom of the well.

(5 cm thick), the well walls are built with upright bricks laid horizontally—five layers of horizontal bricks followed by one layer of upright bricks. The base consists of two layers of horizontally laid bricks, and the bottom of the well has no bricks.

Ming Dynasty Ancient Well: One well, located in the North Factory Area of the Ancient Well Co., Ltd. This well was discovered in the late 1950s. It is a brick-built well with a wellhead diameter of 0. [Note: Measurements appear truncated in original] meters, a depth of 27 meters, and a lower section wider than the wellhead. The water is clear and refreshing.

The Ancient Well Tribute Liquor Brewing Site provides a relatively comprehensive display of the traditional liquor brewing process in the Su-Lu-Yu-Wan region. It integrates brewing cellars, Ming and Qing brewing ruins, and water supply facilities for brewing, featuring a rational layout and complete craftsmanship. Within the site, relics of brewing facilities from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties have been successively unearthed, providing physical evidence for studying the brewing history and techniques of the Su-Lu-Yu-Wan region.

In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

(1) North Courtyard Well.

Protected Area: With the well as the center, 13 meters east, 11 meters west, 5 meters south, and 20 meters north.

Construction Control Zone: Outside the protected area, 5 meters east, west, and north, and 10 meters south.

(2) South Courtyard Well and Cellars.

Protected Area: With the cellar group as the center, 20 meters east, 40 meters south, 40 meters west, and 50 meters north.

Construction Control Zone: Outside the protected area, 5 meters east, 6 meters south, 8 meters west, and 10 meters north.

Further Reading:

·Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units