Ancient Fire Well Ruins & Huojing Ancient Town

Ancient Fire Well Ruins & Huojing Ancient Town

The Ancient Fire Well Ruins and Huojing Ancient Town are cultural tourism attractions.

The Ancient Fire Well Ruins are located in Huojing Town, about 35 kilometers west of the city. Qionglai is not only famous for having the world’s first natural gas well, but also for pioneering the earliest human use of natural gas as an energy source. The United Kingdom began using natural gas in 1668, but Qionglai was centuries ahead.

Huojing Ancient Town is a civilized ancient town with a history of nearly 1,500 years. It is recognized worldwide as the earliest place where natural gas was discovered and used, and it is also the hometown of Huang Chonggu, China’s first female top imperial scholar. The so-called “fire well” refers to natural gas that gushes out from the ground. The history of the Qionglai fire wells dates back at least to the Han Dynasty. During the Western Han period, the natural gas from the Qionglai fire wells was used to produce salt by boiling brine—this marks the earliest recorded use of natural gas in the world. According to sources in the history of world science and technology, the earliest foreign use of natural gas occurred in the UK in 1668, over 1,600 years after Qionglai. Therefore, the “Linqiong Fire Well” is undisputedly recognized as the world’s first natural gas well, securing China an impressive place in the history of science and technology. Traditional artisan workshops such as straw sandal making, cotton fluffing, blacksmithing, and hemp rope twisting can still be found along the ancient town streets. Historical and cultural sites in the area include the World’s First Well, Chonggu Mountain, Zhuangyuan Bridge, Hebei Ancient Street, ruins of the ancient county yamen, the former girls’ school, Haiwu Mansion, the former residence of the Chen family, and Xingfu Temple. Especially noteworthy is the Haiwu Mansion, built in the 1930s at the eastern entrance of the street, which features a unique blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles and is both luxurious and mysterious—a rare sight. Its grand and imposing gateway, exquisitely carved windows in various shapes, imposing blue-brick gables, gun ports on the back wall for defense against bandits, and a maze-like corridor system of light and dark passages are all extraordinarily unique and truly astounding.

Location

Huojing Town, Qionglai City, Chengdu