Deep beneath Datang Mountain, the earth exhales a volatile mixture of saltwater and fire. Dongyuan Well stands as a rare industrial survivor, a place where the nineteenth century functions alongside the twenty-first. Unlike silent ruins, this site hums with the energy of the 'King of Gas Wells,' a title earned by its cumulative production of over 700 million cubic meters of natural gas. The operation centers on the ingenious Kangpen technique, a low-pressure mining method that allows workers to harvest two opposing resources simultaneously: heavy, salt-laden brine and light, combustible gas. The gas does not merely escape; it fuels the very fires used to boil the brine, creating a self-sustaining cycle of energy and production.

The architecture preserves a tangible timeline of this evolution. The soaring wooden derrick, bound with bamboo and timber, dominates the skyline, while the machine rooms below house a dialogue between eras. The massive wheels once turned by the slow, rhythmic plodding of water buffalo rest near the electric winches that eventually replaced them. Visitors walking along the stone gas transmission channels witness a living process rather than a static exhibit; the heat, the smell of brine, and the mechanical noise offer a direct connection to the generations of salt workers who turned the earth’s breath into a resource that sustained a region.