Shenhai wells, Salt and gas well in Da'an District, Zigong, Sichuan, China

Shenhai Jing is a Qing-era salt and natural gas well in Changyantang, Da'an District, Zigong, Sichuan. Drilled between 1823 and 1835 to a depth of 1,001.42 m, it was the world's first well deeper than 1,000 m. Its roughly 1,500 m² compound holds the pounding shed, great winch house, boiling house and office, using the Song-era percussion drilling method.

Drilled between 1823 and 1835 under the Qing dynasty using the percussion cable-tool method developed in the Song period, Shenhai Jing reached 1001.42 m, the first well in the world deeper than 1000 m. It produced brine and natural gas for over 150 years until the 1980s, was repaired in 1984 and 1994, and was listed as a national heritage site in 1988.

The name Shenhai combines shen, a rare character meaning fire, with hai, sea, referring to the well's gas and brine. Visitors can watch workers still draw natural gas at the site, and the salt museum in Zigong explains the 2,000-year salt-making history of the region.

Shenhai Jing stands in Changyantang, Da'an District, Zigong, Sichuan. The roughly 1,500-square-metre compound holds the derrick house, the large winch house, the boiling house and the office; the wellhead and the gas-fired salt pans are the main things to see. The site is a national heritage unit, so keep to the marked route and watch for wet, uneven ground near the pans.

The derrick and the buffalo-driven winch that lifted brine are still in place, and the site continues to yield natural gas even though brine extraction has stopped. It was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1988.