The Locked-Dragon Well of Beixinqiao

Beijing · China · Urban site

Beneath the Beixinqiao crossroads, an ancient dragon is said to lie chained in a bottomless well.

When Beijing was founded, the legendary strategist Liu Bowen is said to have captured a malevolent dragon that threatened to drown the city, chaining it inside a well at Beixinqiao known as the eye of the sea. The dragon was promised freedom only on the day the old bridge was rebuilt, which is why, the story goes, the crossing never received a proper bridge. Whoever pulls the chain will see black water rise and hear a low roar from the deep; Japanese soldiers in the 1940s and Red Guards in the 1960s are both said to have dropped the chain in terror and lowered it back down. When the metro was dug, whispers claimed the station had been redesigned so as not to wake what lives in the well.

FAQ

Where is The Locked-Dragon Well of Beixinqiao located?

The Locked-Dragon Well of Beixinqiao is in Peking, China.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.