Salt well

Yanjing Township

synonym

Yanjing (Township under the jurisdiction of Mangkang County in Tibet) generally refers to Yanjing township (Township under the jurisdiction of Mangkang County in Tibet)

The formal name of Yanjing township is "Yanjing Naxi Ethnic Township, Mangkang County, Tibet Autonomous Region". The Pearl on the ancient tea horse road is called "Chaka" by Naxi people, that is, salt well, "Chaka" is salt, and "Ka" is hole. It is located in the southeast end of Tibet Autonomous Region, between Mangkang county and Deqin County on the East Bank of Lancang River in Hengduan Mountain area. It is the first stop for Yunnan to enter Tibet on the Yunnan Tibet highway. The average altitude is about 2400 meters. It is adjacent to Batang, Sichuan Province in the northeast, Deqin, Yunnan Province in the south, and Zayu, Bitu, menkong, etc. in Zuogong County, Tibet in the West. The climate is relatively hot. It is rich in highland barley, barley, corn, millet and other crops, as well as apples, pears, pomegranates, walnuts, watermelons and other fruits.

Yanjing is a magical place in Tibet. Historically, it was the main road from Tubo to Nanzhao, and also the only way for Yunnan tea to be transported to Tibet. Yanjing Yantian, a cultural landscape, is now the only surviving artificial original salt drying scenic line on the "ancient tea horse road". No wonder Mr. Wang Dawu, a tourism research expert of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, strongly proposed to the Changdu government of Tibet that Yanjing should be declared as a world cultural heritage.

survey

The Pearl on the ancient tea horse road is called "Chaka" by Naxi people, that is, salt well, "Chaka" is salt, and "Ka" is hole. The local culture of Naxi and Tibetan, the Dongba religion of Naxi, the Tibetan Buddhism of Tibetan and the Catholic culture introduced in the 19th century coexist harmoniously in this ancient Valley town of Hengduan Mountain. Yanjing is located in the southeast of Changdu area in the east of Tibet Autonomous Region. Hengduan Mountain range and Jingning mountain range run through the north and south. There are Jinsha River in the East and Lancang River in the West. It is rich in natural resources. Now there is a Yanjing nature reserve. In 1983, the township was established with the approval of the State Council. Yanjing is also the only place in Tibet where there are Catholic churches and believers.

geographical position

It is located at 98 ° 28 ′ - 99 ° 06 ′ E and 28 ° 37 ′ - 29 ° 30 ′ n. It faces Batang County of Sichuan Province across the river in the East, Deqin County of Yunnan Province in the south, Bitu County in the West and Mangkang County in the north. Yanjing township is located in the county, 1366 kilometers away from Lhasa city. 550km from Changdu. The total area of the county is about 13000 square kilometers, with 39600 mu of cultivated land.

Evolution of administrative districts

Yanjing is a Chinese name, which is named after the local specialty well salt, and it is called chakaruo in Tibetan. In 1908, Yanjing Zong was set up in Guangxu of Qing Dynasty. After 1912, it was under the jurisdiction of Xikang province. In 1950, it was under the jurisdiction of Changdu District liberation Committee. In 1960, Yanjing county was merged with Jingning County, which was called Jingning County. In 1983, it was restored with the approval of the State Council.

topographic features

Located in the southeast of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, bordering on the Yunnan Guizhou Plateau, it belongs to the canyon area of the Sanjiang River Basin, with high terrain in the north and low terrain in the south. The main mountains are tranquil mountain and nu mountain. The highest peak, Peng Bo RI peak, is 5084 meters above sea level.

Climate and hydrology

Climate: it belongs to semi humid monsoon climate of plateau temperate zone. Sufficient light, clear dry and wet seasons, mild and humid in summer, cold and dry in winter. The annual average temperature is 10 ℃. The average temperature in January is - 2 ℃, and the average climate in July is 16 ℃. The average annual precipitation is about 500 mm.

Hydrology: the water system is developed in the territory, with Jinsha River in the East, Lancang River in the West and zhongyanqu River in the middle. The rivers flow from north to south. Hydropower resources are very rich.

natural resources

There are 83 salt springs with a daily flow of 140-2288 cubic meters. There are abundant wild animal resources. There are nearly 50 species of rare animals in Yanjing nature reserve, such as Yunnan snub nosed monkey, white lipped deer, Malay bear, water deer, black stork, etc. Wild plant resources are also quite rich. In the virgin forest, there are pine, fir, cypress and other tree species; under the forest, there are Fritillaria, Cordyceps, Ganoderma lucidum, Codonopsis pilosula and other medicinal materials; edible fungi such as Auricularia auricula, Tricholoma matsutake, Hericium erinaceus, etc.; fruit trees such as pear, peach, orange, apple, grape, pomegranate, etc.

History of salt industry

Yanjing has a long history. As early as before the Tubo Dynasty in Tibet, when the tribes in Tibet occupied one side, there were salt fields. It is said that among the six DUOKANG hills, Mangkang hill is a well-known one for producing salt. The legendary battle between King Gesar and King Qiangba of Naxi for salt well is called "battle of qiangling". In the end, King Gesar defeated Qiangba, occupied Yanjing and captured King Naxi's son Youla alive. In the late Tubo Dynasty of Tibet, Prince Youla of Naxi became King Gesar's minister of Naxi, and Yantian was given to Prince Youla of Naxi, which still retains the most ancient history It is the oldest and most primitive way of salt production.

For example, the West Bank of Lancang River is low and gentle, the salt fields are wide, and the salt produced is light red. Because the peak period of salt mining is from March to may, it is commonly known as peach blossom salt, also known as red salt; the east side of Yangtze River is narrow, and the salt fields are not lumped, but the salt produced is pure white, which is called white salt. The color of red salt and white salt is related to soil quality. The yield of red salt is high, but the price is low; the white salt is mostly built in the highlands of Jiangdong, but the amount is small and slightly expensive. The salt well people who have been mining salt for generations are most afraid of rainy days, lack of sunshine, very slow and little salt production, and easy to flood and destroy salt fields. During the flood season, brine wells will be submerged and buried. Changdu district is going to list it as a protected "Yanjing Yantian Museum".

Salt well has a history of salt production since ancient times, and salt field has become a unique artificial landscape here. The so-called Yantian is actually a platform of civil structures built by the surging Lancang River. Down the path between the salt fields, the salt water well is dug by the river. Some of the salt water wells here are nearly 10 meters deep. The workers carry cylindrical wooden barrels to store the brine in the trench beside the salt field. Other workers scoop the brine out of the trench and pour it into the salt field. After a day of sun exposure and river breeze, the next day, white salt grains will crystallize in the salt field. The salt fields built by the mountains are majestic. Along the footprints of their ancestors, the salt people work hard on the rugged and steep paths. They continue their lives and create unique landscapes in the world.

The salt field of Yanjing, known as "the work of sunshine and wind", still retains the unique ancient salt making technique in the world. What's more amazing is that we use the same brine source, the same processing equipment and the same processing skills, but the salt made on both sides of the Lancang River is red and white. Thousands of salt fields have been built on both sides of the Lancang River. Each time they are filled with brine, they can harvest about 10 kilograms of crystal salt in two or three days.

Transportation

Yanjing Yantian is a unique human landscape in the world. Yanjing is located at the junction of Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. It is the gateway of Yunnan to Tibet. The existing Yunnan Tibet highway runs through the territory and connects Sichuan Tibet highway in the north. It's the shortest route from Tibet to the coast. Jinsha River in the East, Lancang River in the West and zhongyanqu River in the middle.

In Lixian County, the territory of Yanguan was the only way for Du Fu to enter Shu

The grass and trees in the brine are white, and the green are the official salt smoke. As an official, there is a way to cook salt and smoke in Sichuan. Jijing is old and has been driving for many days. From three hundred to six thousand. A gentleman is careful to stop his feet, but a villain is bitter and noisy. I'm he Liangtan. Physics is natural. Medical and health: there is a township health center.

Tourism: the only Catholic Church in Tibet -- Yanjing Catholic Church

Salt field production

In 2015, Li Xiaoyu, the first Secretary of Jiada village, told reporters that at present, there are 143 salt making households and 26 pure salt households in the village, with a total of 1774 salt fields, and the largest one has more than 60 salt fields. "In the past, the brine was used to dry the salt, but now the water pump is used to dry the salt, which is convenient and labor-saving, greatly improving the efficiency of salt production." Li Xiaoyu said. The popularization of electric power has promoted the traditional salt industry. Using water pump to dry salt, salt people earn about 20000 yuan a year, and 7000 yuan a year. There are 57 salt fields in cuoqupei's family in Yanmin county. In the past two years, 26 of them were destroyed by floods. Now there are only 31 left, with an annual income of about 12000 yuan. Salt wells produce red salt and white salt. 46 yuan per catty for red salt, 0. 68 yuan per catty for white salt, and 1. 5 yuan per catty for the best quality salt. Red salt is used to feed livestock, make Tibetan incense, white salt to make butter tea, make cosmetics, toothpaste, bath liquid, etc. In 2013, gradandon tourism development company developed a kind of cosmetics by using white salt, with a price of more than 400 yuan, which is very popular in the market. Li Xiaoyu pointed to the crimson salt fields and told reporters that at present, the average annual income of the villagers in Jiada village is more than 5100 yuan, accounting for only one-third of the income from salt fields, and two-thirds of the income is from digging Cordyceps, wild fungi and tourism.

Thanks to the rise of tourism, Duoji, a villager, set up a store called cangjiale. He also sold small bags of salt, with an annual income of 15000 yuan, ranging from two or three yuan to 10 yuan.

"We will develop the traditional salt making industry with the help of tourism. We should not only inherit the ancient salt making technology of Yanjing, but also further develop the vast number of people in combination with modern technology, so as to increase the income of the masses." Li Xiaoyu said confidently.

Jiajiamian

Delicious "jiajiamian" makes "jiajiamian" a special snack for tourists when they go to Yanjing.

The unique way of eating Jiajia noodles is that the guests eat noodles while the waiters add noodles until you have enough

Chinese PinYin : Yan Jing