Digging into Jiangsu's historic engine of imperial wealth

On the shores of the Yellow Sea, the Lianghuai region, straddling the Huaihe River, was one of ancient China's most important salt-producing zones from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onward. Its output was more than a valuable commodity — it underpinned the economy and became a major source of imperial tax revenue.

For centuries, the scale and sophistication of this industry were known only through historical records. In recent years, however, archaeology has begun filling in the missing pieces, revealing a far richer picture. Nowhere is that clearer than at a cluster of newly identified production sites along the coast of eastern Jiangsu province, recently released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Since 2022, archaeologists from Jiangsu have investigated a series of sites, forming a complete sequence of salt-related sites from the Neolithic period more than 4,000 years ago to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The discoveries establish an unbroken archaeological sequence for the region and fill major gaps in the study of pre-Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) production, says project leader Zhou Runken of the Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Each site adds a new chapter to the story. The Zhenhai site in Lianyungang preserves production facilities dating back more than 4,000 years, including stoves, processing pits and waste-disposal areas. The Hulushan site, also in Lianyungang, unveils Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) salt-making facilities.