Wugui Well, Historic water well in North District, Taiwan.
Wugui Well is a stone well on Zigiang Street in the North District of Tainan, Taiwan, built in the 17th century. It served both local residents and passing ships as a water source and is now recognized as a heritage site at the municipal level.
The well was dug in 1653 by the Dutch East India Company to supply water to the region. It was later sealed and buried during the Japanese colonial period after a series of accidents.
The name of this well comes from African workers who reportedly built it, as local people at the time had never seen people with dark skin before. That encounter became part of the neighborhood's oral memory and is still passed down today.
The well sits in a busy urban neighborhood in Tainan and is easy to reach on foot. Coming early in the morning gives you a better chance to look around without crowds.
Archaeological work in 1955 brought the forgotten well back to light after it had been buried for decades. It is one of the few remaining traces of the Dutch colonial period still visible in Tainan today.
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