Big Millstone

　　   Located to the east of Dianji Village, Datianji Town, Chengwu County, the Big Millstone remained well-preserved during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. Today, only the millstone trough and one millstone wheel remain. The millstone trough is made up of nine curved stone slabs of varying lengths with grooves, each 80 centimeters wide, forming a circular shape with a diameter of 8 meters and a circumference of 25 meters. There were originally two millstone wheels of different sizes, both disk-shaped. The one currently placed in the center of the millstone ring has a diameter of 1.7 meters (the buried wheel has a diameter of 1 meter). Both the trough and the wheel show clear signs of use. About one li (approximately 500 meters) to the east of the Big Millstone lies Dajing Village, which houses a large well. According to the *Shi Family Genealogy*, this well was also preserved from the military encampment of Shi Hongzhao. Originally, the well had a very large opening, but after multiple renovations, its current diameter is still 3 meters. The Chengwu Big Millstone and its associated relics have a long history. They served as production and daily-use tools for the military garrison of Shi Hongzhao during the Later Han Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period, making them a rare physical testament to ancient military settlements in China. At the same time, they are a valuable tourism resource. Their unique architectural form contributes to the distinctive landscape of tourism in southwestern Shandong, holding significant value and meaning for the study of China’s ancient military settlement systems and army life. In May 1998, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Chengwu County. In October 2013, it was listed as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units by the People's Government of Shandong Province.

　　   Source: Heze Municipal Office of Local Chronicles