Sanyanjing (Three-Eye Well)

Sanyanjing

The World’s Number One Well — Sanyanjing

The "One Cypress, Two Stones, Three-Eye Well" as one of the scenic spots in Xincai is widely known. In ancient times, Xincai was the territory of the State of Lü, granted to Bo Yi. According to *Chinese Folk Tales and Legends · Xincai Volume*, it is said that during the era of Emperor Shun, Boyi, the son of Gao Yao, the leader of an eastern tribe, was skilled in well-digging and joined Yu the Great in taming the floods. One day, he came to a place (now Xincai County), where he saw the locals using dirty water from ditches to cook and boil water. He thought, “If I dig a well here, they’ll be able to have clean water to drink!” So, he had people dig into the ground near the west gate of the city to construct a well—and indeed, they struck sweet spring water. From then on, the local people enjoyed clean well water for generations. For his achievement in digging the well, Boyi was later granted the title of Marquis of Lü by Yu the Great. The well he dug was about four or five feet wide at the opening, making it dangerous to draw water from directly. Later, he had two large bluestones, each eight feet long, four feet wide, and half a foot thick, transported to the site. Holes the diameter of a bucket were chiseled into them, and they were then placed over the well opening. Since it is said to be the first well ever dug by humans, it came to be known as the “World’s Number One Well.” With its cover made of two stone slabs and featuring three openings, it is also called the “Two-Stone Three-Eye Well.”