Iron Anvil Mountain and the Well of Koxinga

(Taiwanese Tale) The mountain known as Iron Anvil Mountain in Da Jia District of Taizhong County is a sight familiar throughout the island. People of the region gave the mountain this name because it is indeed shaped like an iron anvil. A well atop Iron Anvil Mountain is steep and a full kilometer deep. The water is sweet and magnificent to the taste, and the well has never to this day run dry. A legend passed down through the centuries has it that when Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) passed Iron Anvil Mountain with his armies, he came into the territory occupied by aborigines. The temperature at the time was scorching hot, and there was an apparent scarcity of water. Many soldiers and horses dropped to their deaths. The story goes that Koxinga pulled out his trusty sword and stuck it into the ground. As if his actions had brought forth the mercy of Heaven, a fountain rose in the air almost immediately upon the thrust of his sword. After Koxinga's army gained access to the well atop Iron Anvil Mountain, its fighting spirit rose considerably, and the soldiers rushed forth to victory over the Dutch. People in later times dubbed this well Guo Xing Jing, or "Koxinga's Well." They also called it Sword Well, in remembrance of Koxinga's effective thrust of his sword. (Taiwan's people called Zheng Chenggong "Guo Xingye," after the name given to Zheng by an emperor of the Ming dynasty). According to legend, every year at the time of the Dragon Boat Festival when people look down into the depths of the well, one can see the image of the sword. People of this district in Taizhong County firmly believe that the water from Koxinga's Well has the power to cure many diseases. At one point in Koxinga's struggle against the Dutch, his army was entrapped, and provisions were running low. Legend has it that even his best soldiers had to catch snails and eat them to survive. The story goes that his soldiers discovered that as they finished eating the snails and cast aside the shells, meat began to refill the shells. The army of Koxinga never again had to fear starvation. This is taken as an indication that Koxinga had divine help. Some people in the region claim that they have seen snails of Iron Anvil Mountain regenerate themselves in this way. Another story from this legend-rich region has it that every year during the Qing Ming Festival countless eagles fly forth from Phoenix Mountain to Guo Xing Jing Well, weeping loudly as they fly. The eagles continue the cries that began with the military losses suffered atop Phoenix Mountain. The belief is that the soldiers' spirits now dwell within the eagles. These eagles fly forth every year, it is said, to pay homage to the spirit and to the memory of Koxinga.