From Chien To Shai: Chronology of a Technological Revolution

Abstract

This paper seeks to establish the chronology of an important long term change in the technology of the Chinese salt industry. The change was from chzen, ignigenous salt, to shai, solar evaporated salt, as the predominant method of production. It was long term because it extended from the late Yuan to the early Min-kuo. It was important not only because it concerned one of the biggest components of the secondary sector of the premodern Chinese economy, but also because it shaped attitudes to energy beyond its own industry. Fundamental to these wider repercussions is chronology. This paper therefore will focus on the first appearance, subsequent growth and final predominance of the shat method in each of the salt divisions in which the change occurred. These subsections correspond roughly to the Ming, Ching and early republican periods. For the first and second, the principal sources are the successive divisional yen-fa chih, together with other standard administrative handbooks. For the third, use has been made of Maritime Customs, consular and foreign salt inspectorate reports and of the first and last editions of the Chungkuo yen-cheng shih-lul). These are the major sources, but others are