Water Usage Culture- Ancient Wells ​ 用水文化——古井

Well, it is an important water source in ancient Macao. In ancient times, Macao residents dug wells to obtain water resources and met their daily needs through the rational distribution and utilization of wells. For example, Lilau was formerly the main source of water in Macao and one of the earliest settlements of the Portuguese in the city. It is associated with the legend of a Ming Dynasty granny who built a pond here to store a spring for the residents to draw from and drink. Macao's ancient wells are divided into public wells and private wells, which are located throughout Macao. Ancient wells were the means of access to water resources for Macao residents in the past. It embodies how the residents used to use water during the dry periods and water pollution caused by climate change. Nowadays, the well water is not suitable for drinking due to the aggravation of environmental problems such as climate change. There are many stories, poems and folk songs related to wells, and as a material embodiment of the city's collective memory, they all symbolize the indelible root connection between the well and Macao and its people.

井是古代澳門的重要淡水資源。古時澳門人挖井取水，通過合理分配和利用水井資源來滿足日常需求。比如著名的亞婆井是以前澳門的主要水源地，也是葡人在澳門最早的聚居點之一。與一位明朝老婆婆在此地築水池貯山泉方便居民汲取飲用的傳說有關。澳門的古井分為公井和私井，分佈在各地。古井是澳門居民在過去獲取水資源的途徑，體現了在過去因氣候變化造成幹水期、水污染等問題時居民如何用水。以及如今氣候變化等環境問題加劇，井水不適宜飲用的問題。與井水相關的故事、詩文與民謠很多，井水作為城市集體記憶的物質載體，它們都象徵着井與澳門、澳門人之間無法抹去的根的聯繫。

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In ancient Macao, the surrounding of houses with wells usually add a "#" symbol or the letter “P” to their house number, because the "#" symbol is similar to the Chinese character for well, and “P” is the initial letter of the Portuguese word for "Poço". These two symbols’ function is that in the event of a fire emergency, residents can quickly know where there is a well and take water to put out a fire in time. During the dry period, there is water at the bottom of the well at night due to natural accumulation. During the daytime, the well is especially dry because the residents need to fetch the water. Therefore, they need to 'isolate' the water because there is little water, and they need to tie a wire to the bottom of the well with a garbage shovel in order to get water. Meanwhile, the government assists in cleaning the well on a regular basis.

房子附近有水井的家庭通常會在門牌號上加一個“#”符號或字母P，因為“#”符號類似於中文的井字，而P是葡萄牙語中井字的首字母“Poço”。其作用是在發生火災的緊急情況下，居民可以迅速得知哪裡有水井並及時取水救火。在乾旱時期，由於自然積聚，晚上井底才有水。白天，由於居民需要打水，井裏會變得特別乾燥。在這個時期，需要“隔離”水。因為水少，人們必須用垃圾鏟在井底綁上鐵絲，才能有水。同時，政府會定期協助清理井。

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Wells are now hard to find on the streets of Macao, but they were everywhere decades ago. There are various reasons for the disappearance of these wells, including the popularity of tap water; the increase in the number of houses with more Macao  residents, and the fact that many wells are contaminated by water resources and the water is no longer safe. Climate change is also an important reason for the disappearance of wells and the development of water culture in Macao, including the pollution of natural groundwater, the drying up of water resources, and the lack of land resources have led to the filling up of many old wells for other land resources. In sum, the disappearance of ancient wells and water culture in Macao is due to the rapid development of Macao in modern times. The ancient well in Pátio do espinho was once the largest well in Macao. Due to water pollution caused by climate change, seawater back-up and soil erosion the well water is not suitable for drinking. At the strong request of the residents, the well was reopened at the end of 2022, but there was no water flow. Both past and present, the solution to the lack of well water resources due to climate change in Macao has been to build reservoirs, develop tap water projects, and close all wellheads to the residents. For example, the well in Rua dos curtidores is a rare four-square well that has fallen into serious disrepair over the years. The well, which is still in its original state, has been closed by the government because the water quality is unfit for drinking.Because of this, the ancient wells in Macao are gradually disappearing, which makes many old residents feel disappointed.

現在的澳門街很難找到水井，但幾十年前水井隨處可見。這些水井消失的原因有很多，包括自來水的普及；澳門居民房屋數量的增加，以及很多水井被水資源污染，水不再適宜飲用。氣候變化也是導致澳門水井消失和水文化發展的重要原因，包括天然地下水的污染、水資源的乾涸，以及土地資源的缺乏導致許多老井被填埋為其他土地資源。比如，茨林圍的古井曾是澳門最大的水井，因氣候變化造成的水資源污染，海水倒灌，水土流失等問題井水不宜飲用。在街坊的強烈要求下，茨林圍的井在2022年底重開，但已無水流。總的來說，澳門古井的消失和飲水文化的發展是由於澳門現代社會的快速變革。無論是過去還是現在，對於因氣候變化而導致的井水資源匱乏的問題，澳門的解决辦法都是建造水庫，開展自來水工程，並將所有井口關閉，禁止居民使用。比如涼水井村的井，是少見的四方形井。如今日久失修嚴重。仍保持原貌的涼水大井，亦因水質不宜飲用被政府封掉井口。正因為如此，澳門的古井正在逐漸消失，這是許多都市的老居民不願意看到的，並感到失望。