URL originale : https://books.openedition.org/pufc/25582
7. Technical changes in the salt production from the Neolithic period to the Han Dynasty at Zhongba
p. 143-161
Résumés
Archaeological research of salt production in ancient China has become one of the most notable issues in Chinese archaeology in recent decade. This article will introduce the chronological changes of briquetage and related salt production features from the Neolithic period to Han Dynasty in the Ganjing Valley in the Three Gorges area, China.
Les recherches archéologiques sur la production de sel dans la Chine ancienne sont devenues, ces dernières années, l’une des questions les plus remarquables de l’archéologie chinoise. Cet article présentera les changements chronologiques observés autour des briquetages et des caractéristiques de la production de sel depuis le Néolithique à la Dynastie Han dans la Vallée du Ganjing dans la region des Trois Gorges.
Entrées d’index
Mots-clés : Chine, briquetage, production de sel, période Néolitique, Dynastie Han, Vallée de Ganjing
Keywords : China, briquetage, salt production, Neolithic period, Han Dynasty, Ganjing Valley
Texte intégral
I. Introduction
1Although still in its infancy, salt archaeology has become a branch of Chinese archaeology, of increasing concern during the last decade. As more and more salt-related sites have been excavated, archaeologists have begun to pay attention to the production, distribution and utilization of salt in and around several salt production centers, including the Bohai Bay in Shandong Province (Cao, 1996; Fang, 2004; Li et al., 2003; Wang and Zhu, 2006; Zhu et al., 2005), the Xie lake in Shanxi Province (Liu and Chen, 2003), and the Three Gorges in Chongqing Municipality.
2In this article, I introduce salt production sites in the Ganjing Valley, one of the areas of salt production in China that has been most well-excavated and researched, and I discuss the chronological changes of salt production-related tools and features from the Neolithic period (ca. 3rd millennium BC) to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).
II. The Ganjing site cluster
3The Ganjing River is a tributary of the Yangtze River with a hydrological catchment around 910 km2, occupying one third of Zhong County (Zhongxianzhi Bianzuan Weiyuanhui, 1994, p. 61). The whole of eastern Sichuan basin, including the Ganjing valley, is located on the Wanxian salt bed, and salt brine in this region accumulated on the anticlinal axes formed by the Yanshan and Himalayan geological movements (Liu, 2002, 2003; Li, 2000, 2006). Salt brine can be accessed easily in places where rivers cut through these anticlinal axes. The concentration of salt brine in this region is not very high, only around 2-5 ° Baumé.
4The Ganjing Valley has a very long history of salt production. According to the Huayangguozhi (Annals of the States to the South of the Hua Mountains)1, a salt administration office was set in the Ganjing Valley during the Han Dynasty, and some wealthy families also had salt wells on their estates (Ren, 1987, p. 30). This is the earliest record of salt production in this region. Since most Han Dynasty salt administration offices were set up in locations of earlier major salt production areas (Chen, 2006), it is reasonable to hypothesize the existence of large scale salt production before the establishment of the salt administration office in Ganjing.
5Archaeological sites in the Ganjing Valley were discovered and excavated briefly in late 50’s, but no detailed report was published (Sichuansheng Changjiang Liuyu Wenwu Baohuweiyuanhui Wenwu Kaogudui, 1962; Zhongxian Shijue Gongzuozu, 1959). Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, archaeologists reinitiated large scale excavation of these sites, starting in 1997. These sites include Shaopengzui, Wazhadi and Dujiayuanzi on the west bank of the Ganjing River mouth, Yajiao (Banbianjie) and Luojiaqiao on the east bank of the Ganjing River mouth, and Zhongba around 5 km upstream from the Ganjing River mouth (fig. 1, p. 145). At these sites, the major deposits range from the Neolithic period to the Warring States period (475-221 BC), and reach several meters in depth of briquetage and related salt production features. Some sites, especially Zhongba, even have continuous salt production-related stratigraphy from the Neolithic period to modern times.
6The following research is based on the Peking University-UCLA Joint Research Project at Zhongba between 1999 and 2003 and on published materials on this region. Many excavation materials are still undergoing research and have not been fully published yet. Most statistics in this article come from excavations of 99ZZDT0202, a 9 x 9 m sampling pit at Zhongba (fig. 2, p. XII).
Figure 1: The Ganjing site cluster

Source: In Beijing Daxues Kaogu Wenboyuan Sanxia Kaogudui et al., 2001, p. 611.
III. The development of briquetage and related features in the Ganjing Valley
7In this section, I divide the remains of the Ganjing site cluster from the Neolithic period to end of the Han Dynasty into seven phases. I emphasize that my division is based on changes in the major briquetage types and associated features in the region and therefore reflects important changes in salt production techniques. This is related to but different from the so-called « archaeological cultures », used for artifact-based chronology in traditional Chinese archaeology. To clarify the relationship between this scheme and archaeological cultures, I will try to indicate corresponding cultures for each of the seven phases.
1. Phase I: Early Neolithic period (ca. 3500-2500 BC)
8This phase is equivalent to the early phase of the Shaopengzui Culture, and it is the earliest and most important Neolithic culture in the Ganjing Valley2. According to current evidence, therefore, the earliest Neolithic settlement in the Ganjing Valley emerged at Shaopengzui and later expanded to the nearby Wazhadi locality and upstream to Zhongba (Sun, 2003b; Wang, 1996; Beijing Daxue Kaoguwenboyuan Sanxia Kaogudui et al., 2001; Beijing Daxue Kaoguxuexi Sanxiakaogudui et al., 2003; Beijing Daxue Kaoguxi, 1994; Chen and Flad, 2006). Some Neolithic pottery sherds have also been discovered at Yajiao and Luojiaqiao, however, the cultural layers at these sites were destroyed by later burials dating to Phase V.
Figure 3: Xiaopindigang, Shaopengzui (99GST57: 5)

Source: In Beijing Daxue Kaogu Wenboyuan Sanxia Kaogudui, 2001, p. 635.
9The major ceramic vessels in this phase include various jars, vats and basins. The most distinctive vessel type is the xiaopingdigang (deep-belly vats with small, flat bottoms). Few complete specimens of this type of vessel have been reconstructed. One example from Shaopengzui has a mouth diameter of 38 cm and a height of 64,8 cm (fig. 3, p. 146). The exterior surface of xiaopingdigang are typically covered with cord-marks in a diamond pattern. We have no indisputable evidence of large-scale salt production in this phase, either from pottery types or features. If people in this phase did access salt resources, it was most likely on a small scale and possibly involved the direct use of salt brine without the creation of crystallized salt.
2. Phase II: Late Neolithic period (ca. 2500-1750 BC)
10Phase II is equivalent to the late Shaopengzui Culture. During this phase, the remains at Zhongba and Shaopengzui become different. At Shaopengzui, xiaopingdigang still persisted but they became more variable. Pottery sherds at Zhongba, however, show obvious typological differences from the ones at Shaopengzui (Sun, 2003b; Sichuansheng Wenwu Kaogu Yanjiusuo et al., 2003). In addition to a few vessels similar to the jars, basins and vats found at Shaopengzui, Zhongba also has a large amount of sherds of vessels not seen in the lower Ganjing Valley. Among these sherds, we found many decorated rims and pointed bottoms (fig. 4, p. 148). Since no complete vessel has been discovered, we do not know the exact form of this vessel type, but we can be sure that these sherds belong to the same type of vessels according to their pastes, colors, surface decoration, and so on. Excavators call this type of vessel jiandigang (pointed-bottom vats). They comprise almost 90 % of the weight of all contemporary pottery sherds at Zhongba from this period. Jiandigang might derive from xiaopingdigang based on their overall similarities in form. Compared to contemporary ceramic vessels, these jiandigang are very coarsely made and were probably not made for long-term use.
11Three house floors belonging to this period have been discovered at Zhongba (Sun Zhibin, personal communication, 2004). The two published cases, F263 and F269, are both constructed out a thick layer of lime-like material and ash. Except fragments of jiandigang and other sherds, very few artifacts were discovered in or on these house floors. In addition, clay-lined pits, which are not discovered at sites in the lower Ganjing Valley, are quite common at Zhongba in Phase I and II. Two different kinds of pits were excavated at Zhongba. One type comprises round pits like those that also can be seen at Shaopengzui in late Phase I. These pits were probably used as trash pits. Examples of the other type are clay-lined rounded or oval shaped pits and are absent from Shaopengzui. These clay-lined pits vary in size and depth. Their diameters range from 120 to 420 cm and their depths from 50 to 200 cm. Their walls and bottoms are lined with yellow clay and some have cobbles on their bottoms. In some cases, clay-lined pits come in pairs. In addition, we also found clear layers in some clay-lined pits during excavations.
Figure 4: Decorated rims and pointed bottoms at Zhongba, Phase II

Source: In Sichuanshen Wenwu Kaogu Yanjiusuo et al., 2003, p. 617-618.
12According to chemical analyses of soils in clay-lined pits, I believe that people at Zhongba started large scale salt production no later than Phase II (Chen, 2004; Flad, 2004; Flad et al., 2005). Salt producers might have introduced salt brine into clay-lined pits for pre-evaporation before boiling. Then they transferred highly-concentrated salt brine into jiandigang for boiling. The tools discovered beg the question as to why they choose deep belly vessels as briquetage for boiling since shallow basins would have been more efficient. One possible answer is that they did not have the ability to build large pans which could endure long-term boiling. The solution they reached was to refine certain existing vessel types such as xiaopingdigang, into suitable forms for salt boiling. Jiandigang might have functioned both as boiling vessels and as molds for crystallized salt cakes. After salt crystallized, people would have had to break them to extract the cakes. This might be the reason why jiandigang are so coarsely made and found in such large quantities.
13We do not have clear evidence as to whether people in the Lower Ganjing Valley also started salt production during this phase; however, according to the absence of jiandigang and clay-lined pits, it is highly possible that Zhongba was the major salt production site during this era.
3. Phase III: Pointed bottom cups (ca. 1650-1000 BC)
14Entering Phase III, contemporary with the initial phase of the Bronze Age period (i.e., the period referred to as the Sanxingdui Culture through the Shierqiao Culture in the Chengdu Plain), the material remains in the Ganjinggou site cluster changed substantially in terms of both artifacts and features, especially at Zhongba (Brown, 2006; Sun, 1999; Sun and Zeng, 2006). The entire western part of modern Zhongba Island, an area larger than 50 x 50 m, was covered with layers of pointed-bottom cup sherds and charcoal during this phase. Pointed-bottom cup sherds exist in extremely large quantity, even more common than soil in some areas, and comprise over 90 % of the weight among contemporary ceramic sherds. Although most cups were broken into pieces, we still can classify them into three major types according to base fragments and some complete specimens: dakou jiandibei (large-mouth pointed-bottom cups), duanjiaobei (short horn-shaped cups), and gaojiaobei (tall horn-shaped cups) (figure 5-1, -2, -3, p. 152 et 6, p. XII). We can observe some chronological differences among these three types of pointed-bottom cups. Although the body sherds of dakou jiandibei and duanjiaobei are quite similar in many respects, it is nevertheless clear that duanjiaobei were much more common according to number of preserved sherd bottoms. Duanjiaobei comprise the majority of all cup fragments in the early phase and dramatically decrease in the later period. Gaojiaobei can be seen throughout the phase, but were not in the majority in any period.
15All these pointed bottom cup types were probably made by a slabbased process, and some of them were probably refined on a slow wheel as demonstrated by fine horizontal wheel marks observed on both the internal and external surfaces of the cups. Colors on these cups vary, probably due to sloppy mass production as well as low and inconsistent firing. Dakou jiandibei and duanjiaobei are more consistent, usually unichrome light brown, brown or gray. Gaojiaobei vary from red to red-brown to yellow-brown to gray, and some even have various colors on a single specimen.
Figure 5: Various pointed bottom cups – 1. Dakoujiandibei, 2. Duanjiaobei, 3. Gaojiaobei, 4. Paodanxing jiandibei

Source: Pochan Chen.
16Measurements of the diameter and height of these three types of cups also provide interesting results. The complete specimens from ZZDT0202 provide the measurements in Table 1. The standardization of diameter, height and volume of both dakou jiandibei and duanjiaobei are nearly identical, but gaojiaobei seems to have more variation in these attributes. This may reflect the different ceramic forming techniques.
17The most significant set of features from Phase III at Zhongba is a collection of densely packed holes and gullies across the entire central area of Zhongba (Sun, 2003a). The size and depth of the holes vary considerably. Among the 974 measured holes in ZZDT0202, the diameters range from 3 to 50 cm with an average of 9.3 cm. The depths show even larger differences, from 0 to 80 cm, with an average of 15,1 cm. We do not find any obvious pattern of distribution of these holes. Some holes come in pairs and may have been used together, but some holes cut into one another, demonstrating that they were not all created simultaneously. Many gullies include holes, and the major long gullies are oriented Northwest-Southeast and cross short gullies oriented Northeast-Southwest. Tremendous amounts of pointed-bottom cup sherds and charcoal were found together with these holes and gullies.
Table 1: Measurements of three types of jiandibei at 99ZZDT0202, Zhongba

Note: The number of different measurements in each type might be differed since some specimens lack some measurements.
18It is very difficult to explain the function of these holes. Their high density disputes the possibility that they were postholes for buildings, otherwise a common function of holes found at Chinese archaeological sites. Considering the large amount of charcoal found together with pointed-bottom cups and holes, I hypothesize that these holes are the remains of wooden or bamboo racks which supported pointed bottom cups in a brine evaporation process. It is possible that natural evaporation was utilized, especially during seasons with high solar radiation and relatively low rainfall, but gentle firing was still the major approach to evaporation. Salt brine was continuously added into cups during evaporation until salt was fully crystallized into salt cakes. Due to the small volume of cups and the flammability of the proposed racks, firing should have been very gentle. These wooden or bamboo racks would not have been long-term facilities and would not have been used longer than a few years, or even months. Rotten racks were torn down and new ones were built frequently. This is the reason why we observe the random holes across the production area. The rectangular gully features might hint at the basic layout of these rack features.
19Compared to Zhongba, we know much less about Shaopengzui and Wazhadi in this phase due to the incomplete preliminary reports. According to these reports, the two sites also have tremendous amounts of sherd debris and over 95 % of these are sherds from pointed-bottom cups. These pointed-bottom cups can be divided into two major types: gaojiaobei and paodanxing jiandibei (artillery-shell shaped pointed-bottom cups) (fig. 5.4, p. 150). Gaojiaobei at these two sites are very similar those at Zhongba. Paodanxing jiandibei are made of very fine pottery and have smoothly polished surfaces. They are usually black or dark gray in color and around 15 cm in height. Although the preliminary reports do not state the proportion of these two types of cups, my subjective impression from visiting the storerooms is that the gaojiaobei form is the dominant type during this phase and paodanxing jiandibei are much fewer in number. The quality and quantity of paodanxing jiandibei both indicate that these vessels were not used for salt production.
20The excavators discovered at least one kiln for producing gaojiaobei at Shaopengzui, whereas no such facility has been discovered at Zhongba (Sun Hua, personal communication, 2001). Some stacked and fused gaojiaobei from the site also indicate that Shaopengzui was a place where pointed-bottom cups were produced. It is possible that gaojiaobei were made and transported from Shaopengzui to Zhongba. However, densely-paced holes were also discovered at Wazhadi (Adam Smith, personal communication, 2001), indicating that salt production activities might have taken place in the lower Ganjing Valley.
4. Phase IV: Large rounded bottom pots (ca. 1000-600 BC)
21Right after the decline of pointed bottom cups and holes, from Phase IV to Phase VI at Shaopengzui, Wazhadi and Zhongba, the majority of ceramic vessels became rounded-bottom pots covered with cord-marks. Some archaeologists call Phase IV to Phase VI the « Wazhadi Culture » based on the presence of these cord-marked rounded-bottom pots. Unfortunately, the preliminary reports for the former two sites mix my Phase IV to VI into one phase thereby increasing the difficulty of discussing these two sites. For this reason, I am forced to concentrate the discussion on the results of our excavation materials from Zhongba.
22As was the case with the pointed-bottom cups, the amount of rounded-bottom pots is also overwhelming and dominates the other contemporary pottery types (usually over 90 %). The major pottery vessel of Phase IV is the huabian huandiguan (scalloped-rim rounded-bottom pot), which occurs in various sizes and forms. In this phase, these pots are usually much larger than rounded-bottom pots in the later two phases. All the various huabian huandiguan have constricted necks, but the angle of this constriction varies. Very few complete ones have been discovered. The largest reach to 160 cm in height, but most are smaller.
23From Phase IV to VI, the cultural layers at Zhongba were almost completely composed of so-called « working surfaces ». Layers of various soil textures, including sand and clay, were mixed as major components in these surfaces. Some surfaces have a lime-like component that made the surface hard. Most of these surfaces are fragmentary, and it was very difficult to reconstruct their original layout during excavation. According to those surfaces with preserved edges, we find that most surfaces are oriented in a Northwest-Southeast direction. This orientation corresponds to the long gullies in Phase III. X-ray fluorescence analyses of samples from these working surfaces indicate that they contain a large proportion of CaO (around 30 %), which might be the result of long-term accumulations of salt brine residues (Chen, 2004; Flad et al., 2005). This high proportion of CaO is three to four times that of the soils adjacent to these working surfaces. These working surfaces are very similar to the so-called « hard surfaces » discovered in Japanese salt production sites (Kondô, 1984), both in terms of general structure and composition. Furthermore, the emergence and disappearance of these working surfaces occur contemporaneously with rounded-bottom pots. This indirectly indicates their function as salt production remains.
24In addition to working surfaces, many clay-lined pits were also discovered dating to this phase. Unlike the Neolithic clay-lined pits, these pits are comparatively small, usually less than 100 cm in diameter. However, most are similar to those Neolithic pits with different layers of soil and rocks at their bottoms. The function of these pits should also be related to salt brine storage and pre-evaporation before firing.
5. Phase V: Scalloped rim rounded bottom pots (ca. 600-400 BC) (fig. 7, p. XII)
25In this phase, the density of sherds increased over the previous period. The major pottery type is still the huabian huandiguan, but these change from non-standardized forms into considerably smaller and standardized ones. Besides the various types of scalloping on their rims, these huabian huandiguan usually have constricted necks, which were formed by external wiping in the final stage of manufacture (fig. 8.1, p. 154). Below the necks, the vessel bodies are covered with high-density cord-mark impressions. The colors of these pots vary from gray, to red, to red-brown, to yellow-brown, to gray-brown, and most pots have multiple colors, indicating an uneven firing environment. Most pots have obvious wipe marks on the internal surface, the result of a process of intentionally making these surfaces smoother.
26Most huabian huandiguan are broken, but fortunately we still have some complete examples for measurements. Table 2 present the average, standard deviation and coefficient of variation of the rim diameter, height and volume. These are very standardized vessels, and they represent specialized tools for salt cake modeling.
Table 2: Measurements of huabian huandiguan at 99ZZDT0202, Zhongba

Note: The number of different measurements in each type might be differed since some speci
mens lack some measurements.
27In Phase V, both the amount of sherds and quantity of working surfaces increased. These working surfaces are very similar to the ones in Phase IV and are similarly stacked one on top of another. The distributions and locations of some surfaces overlap, possibly indicating the continuity of similar activities in identical locations. Clay-lined pits become very rare, and they change into rectangular troughs in Phase V and VI. These troughs vary in size and occasionally cut adjacent contemporary working surfaces. This may indicate their functional association with these surfaces. Most troughs are lined with clay and some of them have feint wood-like residue. White or gray calcium-like deposits also are discovered on some of these troughs.
Figure 8: Various rounded bottom pots – 1. huabian huandiguan, 2. pinkou huandiguan

Source: Pochan Chen.
6. Phase VI: Flattened rim rounded bottom pots (ca. 400-200 BC)
28From late Phase V, we can observe a change from huabian huandiguan to pingkou huandiguan (flatted-rim rounded-bottom pots) (fig. 8.2, p. 154). These pingkou huandiguan are slightly smaller than the huabian huandiguan in Phase V. The necks of these pingkou huandiguan sometimes are slightly constricted, and sometimes are straight with constricted mouths. Most rims are flattened, but some still have slightly scalloped rims, usually caused by light pinching or pressing on the rims. Below the rim, the whole body is covered with high-density cord-marks just like huabian huandiguan. The measurements in Table 3 indicate that although volume is slightly more heterogeneous than huabian huandiguan in Phase V, pingkou huandiguan in Phase VI are nevertheless quite standardized in rim diameter and height. Working surfaces remain the major features in Phase VI, but they are less frequent and more scattered compared with previous phases.
Table 3: Measurements of pinkou huandiguan at 99ZZDT0202, Zhongba

Note: The number of different measurements in each type might be differed since some specimens lack some measurements
.
7. Phase VII: Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)
29Debris from fragmented pingkou huandiguan decreased at Zhongba around the beginning of the Han Dynasty. Pottery sherds from this phase became much fewer relative to earlier phases. Major pottery vessels include basins, hu, jars, dou, and bowls. No ceramic vessel can be identified as briquetage either in terms of form and quantity compared to briquetage from former phases. At this point, the most significant features at Zhongba are so-called « dragon kilns ». Four dragon kilns are reported in preliminary reports and more were excavated. All these « dragon kilns » are rectangular structures built along slight slopes. We can roughtly divide these kilns into two major types, the « stone wall » type and the « stamped-earth wall » type, based on their construction.
Figure 9: Salt production-related terracotta relief from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Source: In Gao, 1987, plate 12.
30These features were labeled as « dragon kilns » by excavators due to their structural similarity to a certain type of ceramic kiln examples of which are known from several thousand years ago to the present. These kilns might also be considered more generally to be rectangular structures built on slopes which can induce heat from the lower part to upper chamber. The function of « dragon kilns » at Zhongba is still debatable (Chen, 2003b). If we consider the lower quantity of sherds during this phase, the high density of these « kilns » is very curious. The chambers of these features are very narrow, usually less than 30-50 cm, leaving very little room for the placement of unfired pottery. In addition, no waster-sherds have been discovered in or nearby the features. Such remains should be very common around ceramic production features. In fact, we can easily speculate their function if we refer to the salt production-related terracotta relief from the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220) from the Sichuan area (fig. 9, p. 155). According to the relief, these « dragon kilns » might have been rectangular structures with slight sloping surfaces used as salt boiling furnaces together with large iron pots. This explanation also helps explain why briquetage dramatically decreases during this phase.
IV. The developmental changes of salt production in the Ganjing Valley and related questions
31In the discussions above I briefly illustrate salt production history in the Ganjing Valley from the Neolithic period to the Han Dynasty. It is very difficult to pinpoint the initial utilization of salt brine in archaeological contexts. Observable salt production activities in the Ganjing Valley might start at Zhongba as early as 2500 BC, and are represented throughout more than two millennia by large quantities of coarsely made jiandigang, clay-lined pits, and possible working surfaces. The salt brine should come from places where the Ganjing River cut the axis where salt brine accumulated. The reason that large-scale salt production started at Zhongba rather than the lower Ganjing Valley sites is probably due to the annual flood of the Yangtze River during summertime. Only when they found solutions to keep access to salt brine constant, such as the digging of wells, were the means efficient enough to produce salt on the banks of the Yangtze.
32The first change emerged around beginning of the Bronze Age (ca. 1750 BC) with new production techniques. We still do not have a clear idea of the whole production process. Based on large quantities of briquetage and charcoal, boiling seems to have been the major procedure for crystallizing salt. However, over time major briquetage vessels changed from jiandigang to various pointed-bottom cups. These worked both as boiling vessels and molds. An unsolved question concerns the purpose of the large number of holes at Zhongba and probably also at Wazhadi. I hypothesize they are remains of perishable racks for boiling brine; however, this still needs more investigation. The production quantity increased in this phase and production areas also expanded to the lower Ganjing Valley.
33A second set of changes happened around the first millennium BC with the disappearance of pointed-bottom cups and the emergence of various rounded-bottom pots. Layers of working surfaces and troughs indicate the existence of permanent or semi-permanent workshops.
34We should pay close attention to the changes from Phase IV to V, which are represented by the transformation of rounded-bottom pots of various sizes to standardized huabian huandiguan. Contemporaneous with this change, archaeologists also discovered a cemetery at Yajiao in the lower Ganjing Valley, which has many burials exhibiting strong Chu-style customs and burial goods. Chu was a very strong state in the middle Yangtze River during this phase. Some archaeologists believe that the emergence of Chu-style burials shows that the Chu state established military occupation in this region during this period (Zhu, 2002; Zou, 2005). Adopting another perspective, I would rather believe that the owners of these burials should be salt merchants from Chu (Chen, 2004, 2006). No matter which explanation is closer to the truth, it is highly possible that the requirements of salt from other places stimulated long-distance salt trade and accelerated the specialization of salt production in this phase, a specialization that was reflected in the standardization of huabian huandiguan. Compared to the dramatic changes that took place in former phases, since the major production features remained unchanged, the change from huabian huandiguan to pingkou huandiguan in Phase VI was probably mainly a stylistic change.
35The last key turning point is Phase VII. In this phase, salt producers once again revolutionized salt production by using large iron basins. They scraped wet crystallized salt from the bottom of basins and moved them to other containers (probably baskets) for later draining. This technique became the major traditional salt production technique until the middle 20 century. The emergence of this new technique also comes with a coincident decrease in briquetage.
36In this article, we observe the diachronic changes in salt production techniques in the Ganjing Valley. However, this issue is still in the initial stages of research and more questions need to be raised. For example, is it possible to estimate the output of salt in each phase? Do changes in production techniques relate to the ethnic changes? These questions are waiting more excavation and research in the future.
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Notes de bas de page
1 The Huayangguozhi is the earliest geographical description of a specific local region in China. It was written by Chang Qu in the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 265-316).
2 Archaeologists from Peking University discovered some Qujialing Culture (ca. 3500-2600 BC) remains, an even earlier Neolithic culture centered in the eastward Hubei Province, under the Shaopengzui Culture layers at Shaopengzui. However, the remains are poorly preserved and still have not been published.
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