Li Kui’s Well

Li Kui’s Well

This well is located in the backyard of the former Gaotang County government jail. Originally an unnamed dry well, it gained its name from the section in the classic novel *Water Margin* where Li Kui rescues Chai Jin. The story begins with Li Kui causing an uproar in Gaotang Prefecture. After angrily killing Yin Tianxi, Li Kui returned to Mount Liangshan at Chai Jin’s request, but Chai Jin himself was thrown into jail by Gaotang’s prefect, Gao Lian. The heroes of Mount Liangshan then came to rescue Chai Jin. However, for several days in a row, they suffered major defeats against Gao Lian. It wasn’t until Li Kui and Dai Zong summoned the Taoist priest Gongsun Sheng that they managed to capture Gaotang Prefecture. But when they searched the jail, they only found members of the Chai family and no sign of Chai Jin. It turned out that the prison guard Lin Ren had hidden Chai Jin in a dry well to protect him. Lin Ren led the Mount Liangshan warriors to the well. Everyone peered inside but saw only darkness and couldn’t tell how deep it was. When they called down, there was no response. Then Li Kui stepped forward and said, “Let me go down.”

Li Kui was lowered into the bottom of the well in a basket and rescued the barely alive Chai Jin. At that moment, Song Jiang and the others were so focused on Chai Jin that they forgot to lower the basket back down. Only after Li Kui shouted loudly from inside the well did they remember and pull him back up as well. People were deeply moved by Li Kui’s fearless heroism and selflessness in risking his own life to save another. This deed became a celebrated tale, and locals affectionately began calling the dry well “Li Kui’s Well.”

For over a thousand years, the well was buried and rediscovered multiple times. It was most recently found during dredging work. Li Kui’s Well is located about 100 meters south of the Chai Family Mansion. It is built with blue bricks, with a depth of approximately 6 meters from the surface to the water. The bottom of the well has a diameter of about 2 meters, and the opening is around 1 meter wide.