The tallest crown block in the history of Zigong City is the Dadejing crown block standing on the slope of 1959, which is as high as113.4m, and it was also the tallest man-made wood structure in China at that time.
This Dade well, the highest crane in Zigong salt history, was originally named Hong Yongjing, and was dug in the 41st year of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1776). According to historical records, when drilling to the "upper vein" of 468 meters, you can push 6 loads of yellow brine every day and fry it with low fire. Until the 11th year of Guangxu (A.D. 1885), a well owner in Wang Xing continued to dig the "lower vein" and achieved great success, pushing black brine 120 tons every day. In the 30th year of Guangxu (AD 1904), Li, a wealthy businessman, rented a well. Due to poor management, the daily output has decreased by 80 tons. In the seventeenth year of the Republic of China (A.D. 1928), a man named Xie Picheng bought this well and renamed it Hongxing Well, which means "prosperity and prosperity", but it didn't last six years. Due to the decline of the well market and the sluggish sales of salt, he turned off the stove and stopped pushing it. On 1938, Xie Picheng, the owner of this well, leased it to Wang Jiliang. After Wang Jiliang took over, he installed a motor pump and produced 270 tons of black brine every day, which pushed this century-old well to prosperity. This is when the well name of Dade Well was taken. Soon, the well owner and the tenant had a contradiction. Wang Jiliang, the tenant, felt that the salt water was limited and the machine was too expensive. He proposed to continue digging in order to get more water and fire, but Xie Picheng refused to agree because he was worried that this might endanger the interests of the well owner. The two sides argued endlessly and it was difficult to reach an understanding. As a result, I broke up in discord and stopped working.
The crane of Dade Well has been renovated and reinforced many times in history, which has made great contributions to the operation of the first four well owners. In the 1940s, the sixth tenant came with the hope of making a fortune, and changed the policy of "managing wells" to cease fire and protect brine. As a result, it was "burned" and the crown block was burned. Two years later, the seventh tenant took over the well and rebuilt a crane with a height of 43.29 meters. Two years after the launch, unfortunately, it was hit by a big storm and the crown block was destroyed and collapsed.
After the founding of New China, in the early 1950s, Dadejing was placed under the management of the State-owned Xinhua No.2 Factory. At this time, the crown block was erected again, sealed and scrubbed, installed and pushed, with a daily output of more than 300 tons of black halogen and 0/4 cooking stoves. After the water level drops, salt water must be pushed continuously. Stop for an hour and then turn it off, and there will be endless trouble. 1July, 958, when the depth of the well continued to drill to1097.87m, salt rock was unexpectedly discovered. 1959,10,000 In the month of 2000, thousands of workers fought the battle of "hanging to the sky and pulling brine". Let's unite, work hard day and night, actively use our brains and find ways. In less than a month, the crane, which was originally only 40 meters high, rose to the height of 100 meters, using only logs.
If the salt rock in Dadejing was not exhausted in the late 1970s, which led to the demolition of this towering crane, people who climbed the slope today could not only see the tall TV tower with modern architectural style, but also see the majestic posture of the giant crane that embodies the wisdom and strength of saltworks workers. Ancient and modern complement each other, and the two complement each other. What a magnificent saltworks landscape!
The densest and most spectacular crane group in Zigong area
In the past, Zigong Salt Field was full of cranes and dense cobwebs, and people were buzzing and busy. For this unique landscape, as early as 100 years ago (AD 1888), an American named Virgil Hart wrote: "Many wooden derricks are faintly visible and stand alone. This unimaginable China landscape is hard to see in other parts of the empire ... "
According to the records of salt history, Fanba (also known as Dachong) in Da 'an District of Zigong is an incompatible treasure house. During the restoration of Wang Langyun, the originator of Wang Sanweitang, and from the late Qing Dynasty to Xianfeng and Tongzhi, Fanba became the concentrated place of Wang Jia salt wells, including Jinfeng, Xinyuan, Jinhai, Tianfu, Zhengyuan, Yonghuai, Tiancheng, Chen Yu, Sansheng, Sanbao, Xianyong, Sifa, Dayuan, Kunyuan and Renhe. So many ibis in salt wells gather on the land of only 1.2 square kilometers, which is naturally full of cranes and spectacular. After the liberation of Zigong, some new salt wells were drilled in this area one after another, especially the Big Fourteen Well and the New Big Ten Well, all of which were drilled in the 1960s. The height of the crown block in the two wells is 88m and 86m respectively, which makes the crown block in Fanba more majestic. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, such a magnificent crane community has disappeared from our real life, and the younger generation can only see their heroic spirit in the old photos of salt industry history, which is a deep regret.
The oldest existing crown block in Zigong
After more than 200 years of ups and downs, a typical small-caliber natural gas well was dug in the 37th year of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1772) and is still well preserved. This is Xiaoqiao Well, located in Yuanluchangba, ziliujing district. The derrick of the oil well naturally becomes the "oldest" crown block in Du Yan.
According to the forty-two years of Qianlong (A.D. 1777), Duan Yucai's Fushun County Records recorded: "The well depth of Xiaoqiao Well is 9 1.48 meters, and the well diameter is 2.2 inches, with bamboo as casing." This carefully excavated low-pressure gas well has a diameter of only 7 cm and a depth of 304.9 meters, but in history, it once produced more than 200 cubic meters of natural gas per day, with a maximum daily salt production of more than 5,000 kilograms. Decades later, with the decline of natural gas production, this well was gradually abandoned.
1945, a businessman named Liang Yifa revived Xiaoqiao Well to look for natural gas. When I started digging a well, I went down to a depth of more than 300 meters and met the iron that fell in the well. I couldn't file it, so I stopped scouring. Xiaoqiao Well's natural gas is produced in Jurassic strata, and the gas pressure is low, so the gas production is also small, and usually only one or two salt pans can be burned. From recovery to 1972, the well has been frying salt in a cauldron, and the daily salt production is about 150 kg.
Xiaoqiao Well is an outstanding representative in the historical stage of Zhuotong Well in Zigong Salt Field. So far, the well type in the early Qing Dynasty has been basically preserved, and the traditional sinking and furnace repairing technology and technology formed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been followed, which is unique in charm. Xiaoqiao Well's used pots and pans are now displayed in Zigong Salt Industry History Museum, which is of great cultural value.
1February, 987, for the purpose of protecting municipal cultural relics and developing tourism, Ziliujing Salt Factory rebuilt the facilities such as crown block, cart, ground roller and underground wooden pole in Xiaoqiao Well, keeping the quaint appearance of small-caliber wells in the early Qing Dynasty. Now, when we stroll at the intersection of Tongxing Road and Shigangjing Road, we look up and see the ancient crane. Although it is not high, it may remind people of many past events in the ancient saltworks and feel the vicissitudes of history.
Crane with a long history is a symbol of ancient salt capital and an extremely precious cultural relic left by ancestors. Zigong without crown block is not Zigong in the true sense. Without those "giants" who once made us proud, the elegance and charm of Zigong, a famous historical and cultural city, will undoubtedly be greatly reduced. I hope that the well-preserved 12 crown block in our city can stand safely on the land of Du Yan for a long time and become an eternal symbol of our city!