The Mysterious Kongming Well

According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms Period, when Zhuge Liang campaigned against the southern tribes, he passed through the northwestern part of Long'an County. The local water sources were poisoned and undrinkable, so he ordered his soldiers to dig new wells, which were later named "Kongming Wells".

The county annals compiled in the 23rd year of the Republic of China recorded that there were seven wooden-framed wells in Long'an: one in Tanli, two in Tanse, one in Tannian, two in TanHong, and one in Liba.

The best-preserved well today is located in Tanse Village, Yanjiang Town. It sits at the corner of a paddy field. The well opening is about one foot and five inches wide, with a depth of around two feet. Fresh water keeps gushing up from the bottom. The well is enclosed with a wooden frame covered in thick green moss. Though it looks rotten, the wood proves extremely hard when scraped with a small knife.

The well water is crystal clear. A handful of it tastes cool, sweet and refreshing. Small as the well is, it can supply drinking water for hundreds of villagers in the hamlet.

In ancient times, village women who came to fetch water at dawn often heard noisy voices and horse neighing around the well. Yet when they drew near, there was nobody to be seen. Villagers believed it was the manifestation of Zhuge Liang’s divine troops. No one dared fetch water after dark; they only came in groups between sunrise and sunset, which often led to long queues.

To save time and improve efficiency, the villagers placed earthen jars beside the wooden well. They chiselled openings through the wooden frame and the jar walls to let water flow through, so that several people could draw water at the same time.

Strangely enough, the water inside the wooden well always remains crystal clear, while the water in the jars turns muddy. This phenomenon still persists to this day.