Seasalt Making Process

Sea salt is produced through sun drying and evaporation by wind blowing. The steps are as follows:

1. Introduce seawater into the salt fields: The salt fields referred to here are tidal flat areas. Salt workers dig drainage ditches from the coast to the tidal flat salt fields. When the seawater rises at night, it flows into the salt fields along these ditches and is fully absorbed and enriched by the soil in the salt fields.

2. Sun drying salt mud (sand drying): After the tide recedes during the day, salt workers use wooden rakes to turn over the soil in the salt fields, similar to plowing fields. The soil in the salt fields is exposed to the sun, and when the moisture evaporates and the soil becomes semi-dry, the salt in the seawater remains in the soil. According to local salt farmers, this process takes 2 to 3 days, saturating the salt content in the soil in the salt fields.

3. Transport salt mud to the filtration pool (sand collection): Each salt field consists of two main parts: a sun-drying mud pool and a filtration pool. After 2 to 3 days of sun exposure, the salt mud is transported to the filtration pool, and the salt mud transported to the mud pool is compacted.

4. Rinse salt mud, filter to obtain brine: Each filtration pool has a square (or rectangular) brine storage pool. The two side walls of the brine storage pool are equipped with hidden channels for water inflow, and the other two sides are alternately spaced from the filtration pool. There are thatched mats (or straw) laid on top of the brine storage pool as a filtration facility. Salt mud is spread over the thatched mats and compacted. Finally, seawater is continuously poured onto the salt mud to dissolve the salt in the mud. After the saltwater is filtered through the thatched mats, it flows into the brine storage pool through the hidden channels for storage. At this point, the primary brine making process is completed.

5. Sun drying salt: After repeated filtration, the concentration of the brine is continuously increased until it reaches full saturation. Salt workers usually use a type of snail called "Changdou" (a type of snail) to test whether the brine has reached a certain concentration. When the "Changdou" floats on the brine, it indicates that the brine has reached sufficient concentration and can be sun dried. Finally, salt workers transport the brine with sufficient concentration to hardened crystallization pools and expose it to the intense sun to evaporate and produce salt.