Historical Background

According to legend, during the Tang Dynasty, a group of people from Putian, Fujian, migrated to the area around Danzhou in Hainan to escape the "Anshi Rebellion". Due to the widespread coverage of volcanic basalt in this area, the soil was barren and unsuitable for agriculture. Conversely, the climate and hydrological environment in the bays were suitable for salt production. Moreover, the abundant volcanic rocks provided suitable material for sea salt production. These new immigrants cleverly created this unique and scientifically effective sea salt production process, taking advantage of the circumstances. "New Book of Tang, Geography" records: "Danzhou Changhua County, originally Daner County... There are five counties: Yilun, below, there is salt." According to research, Yilun County was located near the present-day Jiuzhou Town in Danzhou. This literature indicates that salt production in the Danzhou area during the Tang Dynasty was known to the central government. Official salt fields began to be established in the Song Dynasty. According to historical records, until the Yuan Dynasty, most coastal areas of China still mainly relied on boiling for salt production. The Yangpu salt field changed from "boiling" to "sun drying", creating the "sand dripping brine" process, which marked a significant advancement in sea salt production and pioneered the earliest history of using wind energy for sun-drying sea salt in China. This salt production technique was widely used along the coast of Danzhou and formed a considerable industrial scale. Its products not only supplied local residents but also were exported to areas beyond Danzhou through maritime trade.

This "wind-blown sun-dried salt-making" technique was the wisdom accumulated by our ancestors through long-term production practices. It has been passed down from generation to generation, accumulated and preserved to this day, becoming a major component of the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.

Salt fields in LaoShi began to appear during the Qing Dynasty. After liberation, almost every household in LaoShi operated salt fields under the government's "Four Fixes" policy and became "salt people" registered by the Salt Administration Bureau, with a scale of over 300 mu. The history of salt production in LaoShi is long, spanning three dynasties from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China, totaling more than a hundred years. Before and after the liberation, the salt produced by LaoShi for the salt production team supplied Baisha, Changjiang, Dan County, and other places. The salt produced by LaoShi was always in demand. This industry not only provided a stable livelihood for the people of LaoShi but also ensured the health needs of the surrounding towns and counties, making contributions to national tax revenue. This is a well-known historical fact among the people of Haitou. "Baskets of salt, baskets of grain." Many elderly people in the village still remember the value of LaoShi salt fields in the early days of liberation. Until 1997, 32 households in LaoShi were still engaged in salt production. Later, the government forcibly requisitioned it to Zhengzhou Aquaculture Company for aquaculture, and the hundred-year-old salt fields were dug into fish ponds. In 2022, with the use of special funds for ecological restoration by the Danzhou municipal government, 20 mu of ancient salt fields were restored. The salt fields in LaoShi are an important cultural heritage of history and humanities, a deep and beautiful memory shared by everyone. The craft of sun-dried salt-making has become a national-level intangible cultural heritage and should be preserved forever.