Red Hair Well Introduction
The Historical Trace - Red Hair Well This well was excavated by the Dutch over three hundred years ago, thus it is called "Dutch Well." Due to the Dutch having red hair, it is also known as "Red Hair Well." In the year 1636, during the ninth year of the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, shortly after the Dutch East India Company subdued the Zhuolang Mountain community, they stationed officials and priests near the county office (post-Qing dynasty) to collect taxes from the local Plains Indigenous peoples and Han Chinese, and to spread Christianity among the Indigenous peoples. They excavated this well as a source of water necessary for daily life. During the Zheng period, General Wu Zhiwu garrisoned and cultivated fields at Zhuolang Mountain, establishing a camp to the north of this well, and it was renovated. After the Qing period, there are no records of renovations. In the 27th year of the Qianlong reign, the county magistrate Wei Keyu noted that the water from this well was sweet and superior to all in Zhuolang Mountain, listing "Dutch Well Spring Sweet" as one of the eight scenic spots of Zhuolang. Before the end of the Qing period, Xu Deqin, a Jinshi from Chiayi, praised the spring water's quality with the words: "Clearing the troubles of my mind as pure as jade, sweeter than fine wine; suitable for tea when boiled, who draws it but silver vessels, and whose quantity matches that of snow water." The literature recorded: "Red Hair Well is located to the left of the county office. It was opened by the Dutch, hence the name. It measures six feet in square and is approximately twenty feet deep. The spring's water is clearer than that of other wells, and it is said that residents who drink from this well do not suffer from epidemics. During the Zheng period, there was a man named Wu Zhiwu who defended this site and renovated it." "Dutch Well Spring Sweet" was once listed among the eight scenic spots of Zhuolang. In 1985, prior to the Ministry of the Interior's evaluation of ancient monuments, this site was temporarily classified as a third-level ancient monument for preservation. Upon evaluation, due to the surroundings of the well being dirty and the well's railing being newly built in 1959, it was removed from the list of ancient monuments. Nevertheless, Red Hair Well remains the oldest historical site within Chiayi City.
