The records of "Jing" in various historical books were first seen in Oracle Bone Inscriptions during the Yin and Shang Dynasties. However, according to the inference of archaeologists and the gradual confirmation of a large number of cultural relics, as early as the Hemudu period more than 6,000 years ago, Hemudu people had mastered the technology of drilling wells. The author thinks that the birth of "well" is a successful embodiment of human re-exploration of nature.
There are hundreds of idioms about "well", such as sitting in the well and watching the sky, frog in the well, throwing stones when down and out, leaving home, playing hooligans in the market, and being in good order, as if they were all telling stories related to "well" Scholars in the Tang Dynasty once had an incisive judgment on ancient wells: "The ancients dug through the ground to draw water and called water a well." This sentence explains the method of well drilling and the main function of "well"
In fact, since the emergence of water wells, legends about "wells" abound. During the more than two thousand years from the Western Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, there were countless wells, but only the "five famous wells" were circulated in the world: Wen Jun, Zhaojun, Xue Tao, Zhenfei and Guan Ying. The five "wells" related to historical figures always give people a feeling of traveling through time and space.
Among the "Five Famous Wells", Zhaojun Well and Xuetao Well are both named after famous women in the Tang Dynasty. This shows that the development of well culture in the Tang Dynasty was very prosperous, and according to historical records, drilling technology also made great progress in the Tang Dynasty.
The author thinks that the well-drilling technology originated in Hemudu can be passed down from generation to generation mainly because "well" is inseparable from people's lives.
I. Historical origin of ancient water wells 1. The well originated in Hemudu.
The historical origin of "well" can be traced back to Hemudu period at the earliest. The author believes that "well", as a symbol of the Neolithic Age, has proved to the world from the day it appeared that as long as people dare to fight against nature, they can become wise by going up a storey still higher. After the birth of the well, it not only facilitated life, but also changed the drinking way of the ancients.
At present, the earliest well discovered in China is located in Hemudu ancient cultural site. Archaeologists found that the well appeared about 5700 years ago. The periphery of this well is similar to a circle, but the inside is a regular square shaft. In order to prevent the shaft wall from collapsing, Hemudu people also drove four rows of stakes into the pit, forming a square stake wall.
At the top of that row of piles, a square wooden frame was built, which looked like a hieroglyphic "well". The author believes that this may also be the earliest prototype of "well". This square wooden well is about 1.35 meters deep and 2 meters long. Looking down from the wellhead, it is the word "well", which shows that the origin of the word "well" should be the square bracket shape of the well.
2. Various sources of "well"
I believe that people who have a certain understanding of ancient history will know that from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, "street" was the basic form of urban planning, and the place where people gathered could be called "street". Of course, there is another saying about the origin of "well", that is, the well field system implemented in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Although these two statements seem to have nothing to do with water, they all have the word "well", so as the origin of "well", they actually have very important reference value. Of course, there is a more accurate statement that water wells originated from the mine field system. It is said that in order to manage slaves, slave owners will divide a square mile of land into nine districts.
If we divide it horizontally and vertically, it actually forms a "well". Each area has about 100 acre of land, which was divided into eight families for farming by slavery. And a clearing in the middle is regarded as commons, in short, it is the commons cultivated by slaves in other eight areas.
Under normal circumstances, a well will be dug in the middle of public fields for eight families to irrigate farmland. The author believes that if we analyze it from this angle, we can find that this well that people and animals drink together is actually known as the "well". In fact, this well is not only closely related to water, but also related to farmland irrigation and domestic water for people and animals.
According to Gu Liangzhuan, "the ancients lived in the public domain. Well stoves and leeks have all been taken. " The meaning expressed in this ancient prose is actually emphasizing the origin of wells. Mencius said, "Where there is a well, there are 900 mu of wells, including public fields. The system of this ancient well field is also because it is like a well. " This shows that in the society at that time, the shape of a well was very similar to the word "well".
3. Boyi builds wells for the benefit of future generations.
"Shuo Wen Jie Zi" Volume Five Wells records: "Hey, eight families and one well are like Korean shapes. Image also. The ancient man Boyi first drilled a well. All wells belong to wells. " ? The word "Boyi" is Yao's minister, but "eight households and one well" can be interpreted as "eight households use one well", which is exactly the same as the system.
The author thinks that "well" was born in ancient times from "the first well in Boyi". Although there is no exact historical record of this statement, it can also be confirmed that wells were a daily necessity for every household in ancient society. Because well water is dug from underground, this kind of groundwater is clearer and cooler.
It can be inferred that there should have been wells before Hemudu period. The birth history of this primitive well is actually much earlier than the known historical period. The author thinks that although water wells are very common in modern consumption, it is definitely not an easy task to invent a pumping tool in ancient society, which is relatively backward in all aspects.
Before the well appeared, it was extremely inconvenient to use water. Whether drinking water, cooking or washing clothes, you need to use river water and lake water directly. Because this kind of water is exposed to the ground for a long time, it is also easy to be polluted by the outside world. Many people drink this water for a long time, which leads to diarrhea or other diseases.
The author believes that from this perspective, the well is not only an extremely beautiful invention, but also a sign that people are moving towards a civilized society. Although society could not do it at that time, every household could dig wells. However, public wells similar to the well field system were very common in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Today, in the vast rural areas, wells are still an indispensable tool for their daily life. From this point, we can see the importance of well technology, or the role of well pumping. An object that can survive thousands of years and still exist in modern society is actually a true portrayal of historical changes.
Secondly, the "well" in Tang poetry is the peak of the ancient historical development of China. Due to the relaxed social environment, the productivity has been greatly improved, especially under the premise of the gradual expansion of the population. At that time, Li Fang and the streets were overcrowded. In order to solve the water problem of urban population, the relevant departments have dug many wells for domestic use in densely populated areas.
Li Qiao, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, described the "fairy well" in the Tang Dynasty with the poem "Well" as the title. Although you can't see a tic-tac-toe in the full text, with vivid language and rich emotions, the world has a certain understanding of Tang Jing:
"Jade only talks about Xianke, and the bronze platform rewards Wei Jun .. Shu reflects the night fire, and Qi gives birth to clouds. Lotus is clean to the sun. It contains wind and plum trees. I opened a country of thousands of miles and collected five-star articles. "
The romantic poet Li Bai once wrote:
"Huan gong is famous in ancient times, and the abandoned well is unfinished. Stone is cold and moss grows, and cold spring is lonely. Qiu Lai tung temporarily falls, and peach blossoms spring back. The road is far away, and no one can see it clearly. "
Although Huan Wen has lived through the ages, the wells he dug are still full of clear springs.
Su Weidao, an unpopular poet in the Tang Dynasty, also wrote poems with the theme of Yong Jing:
"Exquisite jade sill, clear silver bed. The sound of running water gathers peacocks and shadows show sheep. Tung falls in autumn, frog falls in spring, and peach blossoms are fragrant. What is the end of Dili, I forgot. "
This poem, titled "Yong", vividly depicts the charm of an ancient well.