The Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster

The Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster

The Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The watermill cluster was first built during the Ming Dynasty. According to Volume 312 of the Ming History, “Tribal Chieftains of Sichuan II”: “In the fourth year of the Hongwu reign [1371], Sichuan was pacified, and envoys were sent to announce the imperial decree. In the fifth year, two Pacification Commissions were established—Caotang and Huangping—and six Chiefdoms—Zhengzhou, Bozhou, Yuqing, Baini, Rongshan, and Zhong’an.” In the fourth year of the Yongle reign (1406), the Zhong’an Chiefdom was established; in the first year of the Hongzhi reign (1488), the Zhong’an Garrison Thousand-Household Office was set up, and garrisons were stationed at the Zhong’an River Fort. The influx of a large number of garrison troops brought advanced culture and production methods from the Central Plains. They took advantage of the elevated sandbars on the Zhong’an River to build watermills on a large scale, replacing the primitive method of using stone pestles to pound rice still used by the indigenous people.

The site selection for the Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster was carefully considered. This section of the river is split by a sandbar into two branches, with the southern branch higher than the northern one, creating a height difference of 1.12 meters. The waterwheel of each mill is hidden within the body of the sandbar. Each millhouse draws river water through two inlet holes to drive the waterwheel. The hydraulic power generated by the elevation difference between the north and south river surfaces is sufficient to rotate the waterwheel and power the roller mills. The excess water flows into the northern branch.

The Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster was once grand in scale, reaching its peak in the late Ming Dynasty with over 40 mills. Currently, 19 millhouses remain, aligned in a straight line along the sandbar following the course of the river. During the rainy season, the thatched roofs of the millhouses are often swept away by floodwaters, but the heavy stone rollers and the waterwheels hidden within the sandbar remain unscathed.

The original function of the watermills was to hull and dehusk grain. With the widespread use of rice mills, the original function of the Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster gradually diminished. During the land reform period, the mills were transferred to collective ownership, and after the 1980s, they were gradually sold by production teams to farmers surnamed Zhou, Pan, Yang, and Shen. Currently, 13 mills are still in use, mainly for hulling tung seeds for oil extraction, crushing bamboo for papermaking, and grinding raw materials for incense production.

The Zhong’an River watermills preserve ancient historical information and form a beautiful cultural landscape along the Zhong’an River.

In May 2013, the Zhong’an River Watermill Cluster was listed as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units