Shenhai Well

Shenhai Well

Shenhai Well is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a key national cultural heritage site, and a science education base.

What locals in the Salt Capital are most proud of is this well, known as the world’s first manually drilled ultra-deep well exceeding 1,000 meters. In terms of drilling technology, it stands as a world wonder.

The well is located at the foot of Ruanjiaba Mountain in Da’an District, covering an area of 3 mu, with an elevation of 341.4 meters, situated next to a pond called Changyantang. Drilling began in the 15th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1835 AD) and took three years to complete. With a depth of 1,001.42 meters, the well produces both brine and natural gas. At that time, the daily natural flow of brine was about 14 cubic meters, and it could produce 4,800–8,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day, enough to fuel the boiling of 14 tons of salt. According to historical records, when

Eleven years after the completion of Shenhai Well, Russia’s Sergeyev drilled a shallow well in 1846 and extracted a small amount of oil. Thirteen years later, in August 1859, the American Drake drilled a well 21.69 meters deep and extracted just over 1.8 tons of oil. This shows that the Chinese nation is not only hardworking and brave but also possesses remarkable wisdom recognized worldwide.

The drilling of Shenhai Well not only unveiled the secrets of this area’s Triassic Jialingjiang limestone strata but also led to the rise of a town thriving on salt. Merchants and salt merchants from all over flocked here to drill wells and set up salt evaporators, leading to a bustling market scene. Within a 1.2 square kilometer area, 198 wells were drilled, averaging one well per 6,060 square meters, presenting a prosperous sight of densely clustered “sky wheels,” boiling pans, crisscrossing pipes, and rising steam.

The Shenhai Well evaporator went through several name changes, initially known as Yuanchang Evaporator, Ronghua Evaporator, Qianyuan Evaporator, and Siyi Evaporator, then renamed to Yiji Dexin Evaporator, Xinji Tongsen Evaporator, Junji Tongsen Evaporator, Yiji Tongsen Evaporator, Jinhexingxing Evaporator, FujiTongyi Evaporator, and Jianji Tongsen Evaporator.

These deep wells, over 150 years old, later experienced a gradual decline and eventual depletion of brine, but the natural gas layer “took over,” providing a continuous supply of 8,500 cubic meters per day. Through the vicissitudes of time, by the 1950s,

the well ceased production due to reduced yield and insufficient pressure. Later, a gas extractor was installed, using pipelines to transport the gas to the evaporator rooms for boiling the existing eight round salt pans. Each shift had several salt workers operating, producing around two tons of raw salt per shift.

In 1988, Shenhai Well was officially designated by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government as a key national cultural heritage site. The well and evaporator were restored to their original state, recreating the authentic scenes of using oxen to draw brine and boiling salt with the low-pressure natural gas produced by the well. The towering 18.3-meter-tall “sky wheel,” constructed from logs and woven ropes, was preserved. The wooden percussion drilling frame, which used leverage and was operated by several people stepping on the frame to drive the drill, was also maintained. The ancient well’s relics were opened to the public for visitors from China and abroad to explore.

Protected area: bounded by the existing perimeter wall, covering an area of 6,000 square meters.

Construction control zone: east to Changyantang Small Park, west to the road behind leading to Xishan Park, north to Zhakou Mountain, south to Xinsheng Primary School.

Further reading:

· Third Batch of Key National Cultural Heritage Sites