Ancient A Well

Ancient A Well

Ancient A Well is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

Ancient A Well, also known as Ejiao Well, is located about 2 kilometers northwest of A Town in Yanggu County. The "Commentary on the Water Classic" by Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty records: “Within the west side of the north gate of the old city wall of ‘Eastern A County,’ there is a large well on a raised ground. Its size is as huge as a wheel, and it is six to seven zhang deep. It is used every year to boil donkey-hide gelatin for the imperial court. This is the so-called Ejiao mentioned in the herbal medicine texts, hence the common name 'A Well.'” The well is several zhang deep, built with blue bricks, and covered at the mouth with a rectangular bluestone slab.

To the north of the well stands a hexagonal stone pavilion with six pillars, rebuilt in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1879). It features an ancient design with fine carvings. Inside the pavilion is a tortoise-bearing stele, about 5 feet tall and over 2 feet wide. The stele is inscribed with three large seal characters: “Ancient A Well,” with an extra dot inside the character “Well.” The couplet on the front stone pillars reads: “In this enlightened age, the grace of heaven abounds; in this immortal land, a fine spring is preserved.” The horizontal plaque reads: “Healing the World and Extending Life.”

Source: People's Government of Yanggu County