Site of Datong Misty Rain Well Ruins

Site of Datong Misty Rain Well

The Site of Datong Misty Rain Well is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangzhou Municipality.

The Site of Datong Misty Rain Well, also known as Misty Rain Well, is located southeast of Huadi River Estuary (now Hengliwan Bay). The well has an inner diameter of 0.8 meters, an outer diameter of 1 meter, and a depth of 3.8 meters. It is built with 15 layers of stone rings carved from gray sandstone. The Misty Rain Well is a millennia-old historical site in Guangzhou. During the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the “Datong Misty Rain” was one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng. The “Misty Rain Well” and the “Yuewang Well” near the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall are ranked as the two most famous ancient wells in Guangzhou’s history. During the Japanese occupation of Fangcun, the Datong Temple was destroyed and reduced to ruins. This scenic beauty thus disappeared from the world.

The name “Datong Misty Rain” comes from the Datong Temple and the Misty Rain Well. Legend has it that before wind and rain arrived, mist and rosy clouds would rise from the well; on clear days, one could see the sails of boats on White Swan Pond from the well’s mouth; and late at night, faint sounds of music from White Swan Pond could be heard coming from the well. Volume Five of the 1871 (Tongzhi reign) Panyu County Annals states: “The Misty Rain Well is located within the Datong Temple. At dawn, when the morning light begins to fade, a light mist often curls up from it — this is what is called the Datong Misty Rain.” Another legend says the well connects to White Swan Pond. Once, when a temple water carrier accidentally dropped his carrying pole into the well, it was later found floating on the pond. Hence the folk rhyme: “Pole dropped in the well flows away, retrieved atop White Swan Pond. Sunlight shines on boat shadows, boats seen floating from the well’s mouth.”

In the 1950s, during the construction of the Guangzhou Fruit Food Factory, the Misty Rain Well was buried. The factory later collaborated with Hong Kong’s Henderson Land Development Company to develop real estate. The Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology sent archaeologists to excavate the Datong Misty Rain site. On September 18, 2004, an ancient well was discovered there. After expert verification, it was confirmed to be the “Misty Rain Well” from the Song Dynasty. The well was preserved in situ. After hundreds of years, the Guangzhou Misty Rain Well reappeared, but the mystery of the smoke rising from the well remains unsolved.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units