Luke Duggleby

THE SALT BOOK: China - Zigong Salt Factories

The city of Zigong is located in Sichuan Province of west China. Zigong is where the Percussion Drilling Rig was invented and developed. In 1835 when the Americans were celebrating drilling a well in Pennsylvania of 69.5 feet the salt makers of Zigong had already drilled to a depth of 3,300 feet to reach the brine under the town.

The chief inspector of the Chinese Salt Administration (the government agency in charge of taxation on salt under Sun Yat-sen) stated " The best salt in China is produced from the salt wells of Sichuan. The best salt wells in Sichuan are in Zigong."

The people of Zigong have been drilling for salt since around 76-88 A.D. Technology has changed but the basic method remains bringing brine to the surface and then boiled using the natural gas that is also brought up to fuel the large pans that evapourate the brine. At its heights thousands of 'salt factories' produced salt here but now only one remains.

Because of the expense of drilling and the remote location of Zigong salt simply became too expensive to produce and one by one the factories stopped producing. In recent times ancient percussion drilling methods became obsolete and most of the drilling rigs were torn down due to decay. Now only one traditional salt well still exists, the Shenhai Well, as a tribute to the workers and industry.

Inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China
   
A salt maker washes the salt in cylindrical holders inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China
   
A salt maker works in the steam of the pans inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
Salt makers carry the 100kg salt cylinder to the storage room inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
Cylinders of salt in storage inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A worker fills the kettle below over 400kg of salt cylinders inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
The gas fueled overs used to evapourate the brine inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker packs the freshly made salt in to rubber cylinders inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
Boiling water in a kettle between large salt pans inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
Two salt makers take a nap inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory. Inside the factory temperatures average over 40 degrees celcius making work very tiring.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker lifts off a wooden lid covering the boiling brine inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker pumps in a fresh supply of brine inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
A salt maker extracts the remaining salt from a pan inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
The remaining salt inside pne of the pans inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory. The factory has 8 such pans.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker lifts off a wooden lid covering the boiling brine inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China
     
  
A salt maker unwraps a cylinder of salt after it has dried inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker packs down the salt in a rubber cylinder inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker hammers off chunks of salt residue from the rim of a pan inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
A salt maker shovels the salt from the pan to the cylinders inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A detail of a basket and scoop inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker pumps in a fresh supply of brine inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
A salt maker pumps takes the surface scum off the brine inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
Boiling water in a kettle between large salt pans inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker packs the freshlt made salt in to rubber cylinders inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
A salt maker takes the salt out of the pans whilst another worker takes an order inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
Salt makers carry the 100kg salt cylinder to the storage room inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
A salt maker empties the pan of salt inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
A salt makers removes salt from a pan inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
   
The only remaining and active derrick or traditional drill in Zigong called Dong Yuan. Salt is no longer produced here but natural gas is still pumped out 24 hours a day.Zigong, China
   
Salt stalactites hang below a cylinder of salt inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.
     
  
Packing the salt in to modern packaging for selling inside the Shen Hai salt producing factory.Zigong, China.