The Father of World Drilling: Shenhai Well and the 1,000-Meter Salt Legend

The "Living Fossil" of Ancient Drilling

Located at the foot of Ruanjiaba Mountain in the Da'an District of Zigong City, Sichuan Province, Shenhai Well (Shenhai Jing) is a living monument to human engineering history. It is widely recognized as the "Father of Modern Oil Drilling" and a "Living Fossil of the World's Drilling Technology." Drilled during the Qing Dynasty, this site is not merely a museum but a fully operational salt production facility that continues to use ancient techniques to produce salt today. It is a National 4A Tourist Attraction and a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, preserving the complete traditional process of well-salt production—from drilling and brine extraction to gas collection and salt boiling—making it a unique destination for travelers interested in industrial heritage and the history of technology.

A Milestone of 1,000 Meters

1.The significance of Shenhai: Well lies in its depth and the era of its creation. Construction began in the third year of the Daoguang reign (1823) and was completed thirteen years later in 1835. At a time when Western technology was still in its infancy regarding deep-earth exploration, Chinese craftsmen used traditional percussion drilling methods to reach a staggering depth of 1,001.42 meters. This achievement made Shenhai Well the first man-made well in the world to exceed a depth of one kilometer (or 3,000 feet), leading the world in drilling technology for decades. The well is a "double-treasure" site, simultaneously extracting black brine (rich in salt) and natural gas from the same borehole. This ingenuity allowed the salt workers to use the extracted gas as fuel to boil the brine, creating a self-sustaining industrial cycle that fueled the prosperity of Zigong as the "Salt Capital" for centuries.

The Spectacle of the Heavenly Vehicle

Upon entering the site, visitors are immediately struck by the towering Tianche (Heavenly Vehicle), a majestic derrick structure standing 18.4 meters high. Constructed entirely from hundreds of fir logs bundled together with bamboo ropes, without a single iron nail, it stands as a testament to the architectural wisdom of the ancients. This structure was used to support the drilling tools and hoist the long bamboo tubes filled with brine from the deep earth. Beneath the derrick lies the Dui Room (Pestle Room), where you can see the traditional equipment used for the "percussion drilling" technique. This method utilized the principle of leverage, where men would jump on a beam to rhythmically lift and drop a heavy iron drill bit, slowly pulverizing the rock layer by layer. The collection of over 500 different types of drilling tools preserved here showcases the sophisticated engineering required to handle accidents, repair collapses, and retrieve fallen objects from the narrow wellbore deep underground.

A Journey of Salt and Fire

The heart of the visitor experience is the Boiling House (Zao Fang), where the transformation from liquid to crystal takes place. Here, eight massive round iron pans, each 1.5 meters in diameter, are arranged in a row. The air is thick with white steam and the scent of salt. Visitors can witness master salt workers tending to the fires, which are fueled by the low-pressure natural gas piped directly from the well. The process involves boiling the brine, adding soybean milk to remove impurities (a technique known as "Tiqing Huajing"), and skimming the foam until pure white salt crystals precipitate. This traditional "Low-Pressure Fire Flower" salt-making technique produces a high-quality salt that is starkly white and distinct in flavor. You can even taste the raw black brine pumped fresh from the earth—salty, slightly sweet, and rich in trace elements—or participate in DIY activities like salt sculpting to take a piece of this heritage home. The site vividly recreates the bustling atmosphere of a Qing Dynasty salt workshop, offering a rare glimpse into the ingenuity that powered pre-industrial China,.