It is located at the foot of Bukit Cina,Melaka next to the Sam Po Kong Temple. The well was built by the followers of Princess Hang Li Poh who was married the reigning Sultan Mansur Shah in mid 15th century.
Today the well is turned into a wishing well.Built in 1459, Hang Li Poh’s Well is the oldest well in Malacca. The well was built by the followers of Hang Li Po, the Chinese princess and they well was named after her.
The Chinese princess, Hang Li Po married the Sultan of Melaka and came here to live with her husband. During those days there was crisis of water in this region. That is why the well was dug. It was the only source of water in this area. In the old days, it is said, Hang Li Poh’s Well in Malacca never dried up even during the extreme droughts.
In 1511, Japanese invaded the place and they mixed poison in the water of Hang Li Poh’s Well, Malacca. Many people who drank the water of the well died from plague. A that time Malacca's administrative power just came in the hands of Sultan Alauddin Shah of Johor.The Sultan joined with the sultans of Perak and Pahang, and the Queen of Java fought against the Japanese. After that when Portuguese came here many Portuguese soldiers died after drinking the water from Hang Li Poh’s Well, Malacca. All these incidents are written in the book by the famous Portuguese historian, Diogo de Couto.
After that, in 1677, when Malacca became a Dutch colony, the Dutch sealed Hang Li Poh’s well with solid brick-walls in order to maintain their rights on it. Later, when Dutch rule was over, the well was opened. But it was turned in to a wishing well and it remains so until today. The place has become famous because of the wishing well as it fulfills the wishes of any one who drops a coin into it. It is said that whoever throws coins into Hang Li Poh’s Well, Malacca will return to Malacca again.
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