Cultural workers recently found a magical well in Lingchuan County,
Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region, which dates back 1,000 years ago. The
well has never dried up and its water is still clear and chilly.
The well is in Shankou Village, Tanxia Town of Lingchuan County, 20
km from Guilin, a famous scenic spot in the autonomous region. The
well mouth was circled with slab stones, while the rest was
surrounded by processed stones.
To
the east of the well is an ancient memorial arch, which is 3.88
meters high, with four pillars and three gates. On top of each
pillar is a squatting stone lion. On the arch are inscribed four
Chinese characters "Si Fang Ling Quan," meaning a magic spring for
all directions. The writing style is natural and pungent. The end
of each stroke is carved into a form of a claw. The words were
written by Cheng Jichang, the last Leading Scholar title winner
under China's former imperial civil examination system.
About three meters away from the well mouth is a 3.5-meter-high and
5-meter-wide screen wall. Two stone tablets are engraved on it. The
left side tells the story of the well building in detail, while the
right carries the names of donors to the well construction.
According to the tablet inscriptions, the well was set up in the
early period of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and its former
name was "Si Fang Quang", meaning a spring for people from all over
China.
There are many legends about this well. For example, some believe
the water has magical powers to forecast drought or flood. Each
time the nearby Gantang River rises, a great sound will be heard
from the well. Then the water drops by over three meters but
immediately recovers. If, on a sunny morning, people see a rainbow
at the mouth of the well, they will have a good harvest that
year.
(新華網 [Xinhua News Agency],
translated by Li Jinhui for china.org.cn, June 20, 2002)