In 2018,Qinghai Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology,in collaboration with the School of Cultural Heritage of Northwest University,conducted a special survey of nine traditional salt farms in Nangqian and Maduo counties of Qinghai Province.In combination with historical documents and ethnographic materials,we have basically clarified the scales,shapes,production and sales of these salt farms.There is corelation between the distribution and scale of salt farms in Nangqian,as large salt farms are all located on the slopes along seasonal rivers and have been used for a long time.The small ones are mostly family-owned and located in mountains,which have been abandoned for many times.According to the research,the Baizha Salt Farm in Nangqian was established between 1185 and 1193,while the others started between the Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China.Historically,the Hajiang Salt Farm was exploited and run by local Tibetan tribes and caravans until it went public-operated in 1940.The salt transportation network in central and southern Qinghai which was centered around the Chaka Salt Lake,Hajiang saline pool and Nangqian region connected the major cultural corridors of Silk Road(Qinghai Section),Tang-Tubo Ancient Road and Tibetan-Yi Corridor,thereby promoting the communication between the hordes in the southern Qinghai-Tibet plateau and the interaction between agricultural and husbandry cultures.In general,this survey gives us inspiration for further research on salt archaeology in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and provides first-hand material for exploring the cultural heritage of local salt industry.
Salt farms in NangQian countyHajiang saline poolTraditional salt productionSales and transportation
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