Dongyuanjing Ancient Salt Well

Dongyuanjing Ancient Salt Well

Dongyuanjing Ancient Salt Well is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dongyuanjing is located on Datang Mountain in Shanzipa, Gongjing District, Zigong City, Sichuan Province. It lies at the western end of the Ziliujing Gas Field and is one of the ancient wells in Zigong that still produces natural gas and brine to this day. Due to its high yield and long operational history, it has always been highly regarded. Former Chinese President Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the Central Secretariat, once inspected the well. Many international friends and experts have expressed amazement and praise after visiting and studying the site.

The well was first established as early as the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, only the stone casing was completed before work was halted. It wasn’t until 1889 that the well was deepened again through joint funding by multiple salt merchants. It was finally completed in 1935. During the drilling process, production was carried out intermittently alongside drilling, taking a total of 46 years. The final depth of the well is 935.88 meters (current depth 948.22 meters), reaching the gas-producing Leikoupo Formation of the Triassic system, yielding a large amount of natural gas.

Since its gradual operation began in 1892, the well has a production history of 120 years, with cumulative gas production exceeding 500 million cubic meters. The well still employs China’s uniquely developed low-pressure natural gas Kangpen gas extraction technology, which reflects the ingenuity of the Chinese people. It currently produces 27,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day, maintaining a record of high and stable output, ranking first among the gas wells in the Zigong salt fields. It is a rare gas well both in ancient and modern times, domestically and internationally, which has drawn significant attention from experts and scholars, making it an important research subject in the history of salt industry technology.

Dongyuanjing was drilled using traditional drilling methods. Despite over 100 years of production since its completion, the surface facilities remain largely preserved in their original state. For example, above-ground structures (such as the pestle room and the winch room) and drilling equipment (such as the derrick, foot frame, and main beam) are all well-preserved. It is a valuable physical relic of the late Qing Dynasty’s salt industry. Particularly noteworthy are the two surviving drilling logs at Dongyuanjing: one is a transcribed copy from 1889 to 1896, and the other is an original drilling record from 1915 to 1933. These two drilling logs, preserved to this day, are precious historical materials for studying the well and the drilling management and technical methods used in the Zigong area.

As an ancient gas well, Dongyuanjing is typical and representative among the Ziliujing gas well group. It was listed as a municipal cultural relics protection unit in 1985 and as a Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2002, becoming part of the Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark.

In May 2013, Dongyuan Ancient Salt Well was announced as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected Area: Extends 5 meters beyond the current occupied area. Total area: 5.36 hectares.

Construction Control Zone: Northeast and southeast to the Xushui River, southwest to Provincial Highway 305, northwest to the urban south-north ring road connection line. Total area: 36.8 hectares.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units