Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt

Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt

Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt is a Geographical Indication Protected Product.

　　Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt is a specialty of the Yuncheng Salt Pond in Yuncheng District, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. "Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt" boasts a long and storied history. The salt crystals are large, pure white in color, and of high purity. It is not only suitable for human consumption but also serves as an important raw material for the chemical industry, light industry, and pharmaceutical sector. Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt has been granted the status of a Geographical Indication Protected Product.

　　The Yuncheng Salt Pond was historically known as the Cuo Hai (Salt Sea) or Gu Hai (Ancient Sea), and due to its location east of the Yellow River, it was also called the Hedong Salt Pond. With the establishment of Yuncheng City, it became known as the Yuncheng Salt Pond. Historically, due to the legend that this area was where the Yellow Emperor battled Chiyou, and where Chiyou’s body and head were “separated” (解, xie), it was referred to as the Xie Pond, and the salt produced here was called Xie Salt. The salt produced in the Yuncheng Salt Pond has also been known by other names over time, such as bitter salt, grain salt, coarse salt, Hedong salt, and Lu salt (named after the former settlement of Lu Village before Yuncheng was established), and these names continue to be used today. Salt has played an irreplaceable and vital role in the survival and evolution of humanity. Not only does it fulfill essential practical needs in daily life as a crucial nutrient and seasoning, but the long process of salt production and refinement has also given rise to a unique historical culture centered around salt. The formation and development of salt culture have had a profound influence on people's spiritual lives, moral character, customs, and lifestyles. The Yuncheng region is one of China’s oldest centers of salt production. A series of long-standing, richly layered, and diverse salt cultures have formed here, and over the centuries, they have been continuously inherited, accumulated, and preserved as a precious cultural asset in the region, deserving of earnest protection, inheritance, and promotion.

　　"Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt" has a long and storied history. The salt crystals are large, pure white in color, and of high purity. As a high-quality, natural beauty product, it is rich in over 30 types of minerals and trace elements beneficial to the human body, including potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and chlorine. It offers benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, pain-relieving, anti-itch, exfoliating, and skin-brightening effects. It is not only suitable for human consumption but also serves as an important raw material for the chemical industry, light industry, and pharmaceutical sector.

　　 The Yuncheng Salt Pond in Yuncheng District, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, spans from Dongguo Town in the east, along the northern slope of the Zhongtiao Mountain range, westward through Xiyao Town and the Dizhang Village of Xiezhou Town, and from Anyi Town in the north, along the southern part of the urban area, westward through the Nancheng Subdistrict Office, Xicheng Subdistrict Office, and the southern part of Longju Town, extending to Qiaojiayuan Village in Chepan Town in the west, covering a total area of 154.6 square kilometers.

　　 "Request from the People's Government of Yuncheng District, Yuncheng City, Regarding the Delimitation of the Protection Area for the Geographical Indication Product — Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt," Yuyan Zheng Qing [2012] No. 21.

　　 Enterprise Standard of Nafine Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd.: Q/NFJ 03-062-2012 "Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt."

　　Quality Technical Requirements for Yuncheng Salt Pond Coarse Salt (Hedong Coarse Salt)

　　I. Requirements for Raw Materials and Auxiliary Materials

　　1. Raw Material: Brine from the salt pond within the protected area.

　　2. Auxiliary Materials: Compliant with national cosmetics-related laws and regulations.

　　II. Production Process

　　Brine solar evaporation → Harvesting → Sieving → Formulation → Inspection → Measuring and Packaging → Finished Product.

　　III. Key Production Processes

　　Brine Solar Evaporation: Select new brine with concentration ≥45, ≤30, and concentration ≥Be, with a Na to Mg ion ratio >2. Under temperatures of 20–40°C, allow natural evaporation until the brine concentration reaches 27.5 Be, forming naturally crystallized salt.

　　IV. Quality Characteristics

　　1. Sensory Characteristics: Appears granular in form, with light bluish or light pink hues, and even color distribution.

　　2. Physicochemical Indicators:

　　Item      Indicator

　　Sulfate (as SO₄²⁻) % (mass fraction)

　　 1.0–6.0

　　3. Safety and Other Quality Technical Requirements: Product safety and other quality technical requirements must comply with relevant national regulations.