Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Well water

Illustration of ' well water' (jingshui) from Shiwu bencao (Materia dietetica), a dietetic herbal in four volumes dating from the Ming period (1368-1644). The identity of the author and artists is unknown. It contains entries on over 300 medicinal substances and is illustrated by almost 500 paintings in colour. This illustration shows water being drawn from a well, constructed in the vernacular style of the Ming period (1368-1644). The well opening, the platform surrounding the well, and the method of drawing water with a bucket are all depicted in detail. The text states: Freshly drawn well water is beneficial and has curative powers. The first water drawn from a well in the morning is called 'flower of the well' (jinghuashui). The best well water comes from strata deep underground; water that comes from nearby water courses is second best. In populous urban areas, where the well water may be polluted by run-off from drains and gutters, it must not be used for brewing tea, making wine or spirits, or making beancurd unless it has first been boiled and allowed to sediment. If well water is turbid after rain, peach and apricot kernels and juice should be stirred into it. One should then wait for a while until the impurities have sunk to the bottom before drinking the water.

Jingshui (well water)