Site of the Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project in Yipinglang

Site of the Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project in Yipinglang

Yunnan is a province that produces both well salt and rock salt, with salt output sufficient to meet the dietary needs of its residents. Since the 1920s, however, due to centuries of stagnation in production methods—relying on firewood to boil brine—the salt industry became technologically outdated, leading to a sharp decline in production that failed to meet civilian demand. This triggered a salt shortage that endangered political stability.

In 1931, after taking office as the Salt Transport Commissioner, Zhang Chong visited various salt wells and observed the backward methods used by salt-boiling households, which relied entirely on firewood as fuel. As a result, the areas around the wells were “bare and barren, with firewood having to be transported from as far as a hundred li away.” Without addressing the fuel issue and outdated production methods, there would be no future for Yunnan’s salt industry. Zhang Chong formulated a “Salt Brine Relocation to Coal” plan, which was reviewed and approved at the 331st meeting of the provincial government. Despite numerous challenges, by September 1937 (the 26th year of the Republic of China), the four-year construction of the brine transportation project was largely completed. To accommodate other supporting facilities, full-scale brine delivery to Yipinglang officially began on September 1, 1938 (the 27th year of the Republic of China), marking the start of coal-fired salt production. The “Salt Brine Relocation to Coal” project consisted of five components: 1) brine production, 2) brine transportation, 3) coal production, 4) refined salt production, and 5) other related facilities, structures, and buildings. The preserved relics and immovable cultural heritage of the Yipinglang Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project include: remnants and sites related to brine production such as two traditional mine shafts—Pingjing Qingyuan Cave and others, the Beidong production area, the Xinja production area ruins, one crushing workshop site, one ball mill room site, one brine soaking pool site, two brine storage pools, one boiler room site, and one Beidong substation; brine transportation features including one brine transport channel, 16 bridges, 154 stone culverts, 6 tunnels, 4 brine pools, pressure relief pools, and transfer pools, as well as three work section sites of the brine transport channel maintenance crew (Sections 1, 2, and 3); coal production features including the Lanini’ao coal mine site; and other related facilities and structures such as the Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project kiln site, Zhang Chong’s former residence, the First Residential Area of the Yipinglang Salt Field, the Zhang Chong Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project Memorial, and the former office site of the Yuan Yongjing facility related to the Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project.

The success of the Salt Brine Relocation to Coal Project significantly reduced salt production costs, enabling Yunnan to overcome its salt crisis. The project stands as a remarkable achievement in the industrial history of Yunnan and an innovative milestone in salt industry history. Its success also played a positive role in boosting Yunnan’s economic development, maintaining social stability, and supporting the war effort during the War of Resistance against Japan.