Ancient salt trade revived at ‘China’s Dead Sea’
Print Edition
A TRADITIONAL salt production process has returned to Yuncheng Salt Lake, known as “China’s Dead Sea,” some 30 years after it was abandoned.
Salt production in Yuncheng in north China’s Shanxi Province was halted in the 1980s as the city turned to Glauber’s salt and magnesium sulfate.
Production resumed in June due to ecological concerns and to preserve an ancient method of salt production, listed as an intangible cultural heritage by Shanxi Province in 2007.
More than 1,300 years ago, residents developed the traditional salt production technique, which uses specially excavated beds to dry the brine.
“Resuming the process can help balance the composition of the lake water,” said Xu Tao, an engineer with the salt producer, Nanfeng Chemical Industrial Corporation in Yuncheng.
According to Xu, years of extracting Glauber’s salt and magnesium sulfate have left too much chloride in the lake.
The salt is called “Lu salt” after “Lucun Village,” the ancient name for the region. It is said to have medicinal value.
Visitors can float on the lake surface due to its high salinity.
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