2.2 Distribution of Salt Wells in Erhai Region

In the east to the Luoping Mountain-Diancang Mountain line,the terrain is relatively gentle,with variously sized dams (basins),such as Dali,Binchuan,Eryuan,Xiangyun and others. Most of these dams are between 1, 700 and 2, 000 meters above the sea level,with lakes and rivers such as Erhai Lake,Jianhu Lake and Zibi Lake,with good conditions for agricultural production and irrigation. Therefore,after a long history of development,these dams have been important agricultural areas in Dali. The superior geographical environment on the west bank of Erhai Lake is an important condition for it to become a central area of a large region and to enable the urban status of Dali City. Dali,as the central place of Erhai region,almost runs through the development history of the whole Dali region. It used to be the capital of the Nanzhao and Dali regimes(regimes of ethnic minorities in Yunnan)with a vast territory,not only covering today's Yunnan Province,but also going far beyond the country's borders. Its capital status lasted for 515 years,especially demonstrating its prominent position as a regional center. From the establishment of Yeyu County by Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty to the present capital of Dali Prefecture,Dali City has been an important geographical condition for the nurturing and development of Dali civilization,with its upright Diancang Mountain in the west,its bright mirror-like Erhai Lake in the east,and the gentle and rich Dali dams extending eastward from the foot of Diancang Mountain to the banks of Erhai Lake.

The area from the west of the Luoping Mountain-Diancang Mountain line to Lancang River belongs to the south of Yunling Mountain of Hengduan Mountains. From east to west,there are alternating high mountains and valleys,namely,Diancang Mountain,Yangbi River,Qingshuilang Mountain,Bijiang River,Xuebang Mountain and the turbulent Lancang River. Compared with gentle basins and quiet lakes,the high mountain and longitudinal valley areas are at a disadvantage for human survival and social development.

The area in the west to the Luoping Mountain-Daincang Mountain line belongs to the south of Yunling Mountain of Hengduan Mountains,with high mountains and deep valleys. Despite the complex landforms,it has rich mineral,forest and water resources. Important well salt producing areas in Erhai region are all distributed in this area except Binju Well in Binchuan County.

In Chinese history,from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty,Erhai region has earlier records of well salt production in China,except Sichuan. In the twelfth year of Yongping Period(69)of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty,the non-Han people from Ailao submitted themselves. To the west of present-day Dali was set up Yongchang Commandery. According to "Biographies of Non-Han States in the Southwest"in The History of the Later Han Dynasty and "The Chronicles of States"in The Records of Huayang Kingdom ,"Cun (surnamed Zheng)the governor of Yongchang Commandery made an agreement with the Ailao people. Each leader in the commandery should submit two cloth garments and one bushel of salt each year as a fixed tax. The non-Han people accepted and took it as a custom". Yongchang Commandery controlled Bisu County,the present-day area of Yunlong County and Lanping County. As they were the closest to Ailao people,the salt that Ailao people ate came here. Tracing back to the written history,in the period of more than two thousand years from the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty,the social and economic development of Erhai region has always been accompanied by the exploitation and utilization of salt wells.

Geological studies show that the Erhai region was a concave inland lake in ancient times. With millions of years of changing geological movements and declining deep layers of inland lakes,there has been a gradual deposition and accumulation of salt and other substances. Finally,it formed rock salt layers buried beneath the surface."The deposits in the‘three-river’area in western and southern Yunnan have many sources for their continental sediments. Recharged by deep brine related to the fault zone,salt deposits were formed by‘inland basins and deep brine recharge’. "In the salt layers in Yunnan,"except that the Anning Salt Mine in Kunming which belongs to Middle Jurassic,the other 26 mining areas(points)belong to the Upper Cretaceous Unified Paleocene.""Salt blocks are shallowly buried in the axis of the anticline,with visible salt of about 50 meters" . It shows that,far before the birth of human beings,there were deep salt beds in Erhai region,which constituted one of the necessary conditions for human survival.

Because of the shallow visibility of salt in this area,and mostly in the geographical environment of high mountains and deep valleys,it has often been scoured by floods and debris flows,so that it was exposed to the shallow surface for groundwater infiltration. Wang Shouji,a man of the Qing Dynasty,said in his"Brief Comments of Salt Affairs in Yunan"in Brief Comments on Salt Laws that"salt in Yunnan and Shu(present-day Sichuan)is produced in wells,with Shu wells drilled by human beings and Yunnan wells naturally formed ". The ancients had long noticed the natural outcropping of salt wells in Yunnan. Therefore,it is reasonable to say that the ancient humans living in Erhai region in the ancient times could not only have salt to maintain their health and promote their evolution,but also easily obtain such a material. Erhai region was one of the earliest habitats suitable for human beings.

Traditionally,salt-producing areas in Yunnan have been divided into three major well areas:"The first is the Heijing area,with three wells,namely,Heijing Well,Yuanyong Well and Alou Well. Langjing is a branch venue of Heijing Well. The second is Baijing area,with four wells,namely,Baijing Well,Qiaohou Well,Laji Well and Yunlong Well. The third is Mohei Well Area,with three wells,including Mohei Well,Anban Well and Xiangyan Well. " Salt wells in Erhai region are mainly distributed in Baijing area.

In the western part of the boundary between Yunlong County,Jianchuan County and Lanping County of Nujiang Prefecture,Yanlu Mountain (also known as Xuebang Mountain),the middle peak of Yunling Mountains,contains abundant salt mineral resources. Yunnan,which means"the south of the clouds",has another saying that it is named for being to the south of the Yunling Mountains. Precisely speaking,Yanlu Mountain belongs to Jianchuan County of Dali Prefecture. As the highest peak in Dali Prefecture,it has an altitude of 4, 295.3 meters. This mountain is the only way for the Salt Horse Ancient Road. After starting from Jianchuan and crossing Yanlu Mountain(Xuebang Mountain),Biluo Snow Mountain,Gaoligong Mountain,Lancang River and Nujiang River,one can reach Myanmar and India. After following Nujiang River and Dulong River to travel upstream,one can reach Chawanong and Chayu in Tibet. The specific routes are as follows:Jianchuan, Yangcen, Madeng, Yanlu Mountain,Lanping Jinding,Lajin,Yingpan,Monkey Rock,Laomudeng(Zhiziluo),Fugong(Shangpa),Lishadi,Gongshan Mountain,Bingzhongluo(or Dulong River),Chawanong and Chayu in Tibet. One can travel past Fugong to reach Lushui River(Luzhang Town). After crossing Lushui River,one can go out of Pianma and reach Myanmar.

Two rivers,Bijiang River and Bishui River,originating from Yanlu Mountain(Xuebang Mountain),converge southward into Lancang River. The major salt wells in Erhai region are distributed in the valleys where Bijiang River and Bishui River flow pass. They are commonly known as"Longjing"(Dragon Wells). The main river basin of Bijiang River is in the present-day Yunlong County. At the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,Bisu County was established in Yunlong. Along Bijiang River,there are Laji Well,Shundang Well,Shijing Well,Nuodeng Well,Shimen Well,Tianjing Well,Dajing Well and Baofeng Well(Jinquan Well). Bishui River mainly flows through present-day Misha in Jianchuan,Qiaohou in Eryuan,Yangbi County and other places. Along Bishui River are three local salt wells,namely,Misha Well,Qiaohou Well and Yangbi Well.

During the Nanzhao period,the non-Han Bai people called salt"Bin". Binju Well in present-day Binchuan County is the salt producing area relied on by Yuexizhao regime.

In Fan Chuo's Man Shu ( The Book on Non-Han States )in the Tang Dynasty,there is a record that native Nanzhao people called salt as Bin. To this day,the language of the Bai Ethnic Group also refers to salt in this way."Bin"(宾),"Bi"(比)in the above"Bisu"County(an ancient name of Yunlong County),"Bi"(?)in Bijiang River and"Bi"(濞)in Bishui River are different transliterated Chinese characters of the word of salt in the Bai Ethnic Group. The Nama people,a branch of the Bai Ethnic Group,were the descendants of Bisu in ancient times. The pronunciation of the word "Nama"in the language of the Bai Ethnic Group is similar to that of Luomu,Laomu and Nuodeng. They all have the meaning of"Long(Dragon)Persons",meaning salt makers in the dragon well areas . Salt in the Erhai region is not only for local people,but also for people in Nujiang Valley and west of Gaoligong Mountain,Wa'nong and Chayu of Tibet,and as far as northern Myanmar.

2.2.1 Salt Wells in Bijiang River Basin

●Yunlong Salt Well

Yunlong County has a long history of exploiting salt wells. It is a well-known salt producing area in Erhai region. The salt industry plays an important role in Yunlong's economic development.

In "Geographic Records"of The History of the Han Dynasty ,Yunlong County was founded in the second year of Yuanfeng Period(BC 109)of the Western Han Dynasty. It was named Bisu as that time. During the Song Dynasty(960—1279 ),it was called Yunlongdan. Yunlong has been named after Lancang River since then. The book The Past of Yunlong says that"cloud and mist cover the river at night. In the morning the cloud and mist rise like a dragon". By the 26th year of Zhiyuan Period (1289 ),Yunlongdian Military and Civil Administration was established. In the tenth year Zhenyuan Period(794)in the Tang Dynasty, Man Shu records that"Jianchuan has an Xi Nuodeng well", which refers to the present-day Nuodeng well in Guolang Township. In the seventeenth year of Hongwu Period(1384)in the Ming Dynasty,it was changed to Yunlong Prefecture."A Textual Research on Salt Affairs"in General Records of Yunnan published in the period of Emperor Daoguang(reign:1820—1850)records that in the Han Dynasty,Yunnan had two wells namely,Anning Well and Yunlong Well. The Newly Written General Records of Yunnan further verifies that "the Yunlong Well"in the Han Dynasty is the present-day Nuodeng Well and Tian'er Well. These records all prove that there were salt wells in Yunlong as early as the Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. The name of Bisu County can be interpreted as"Salt Persons"in the language of the Bai Ethnic Group. It means that Bisu County was the place where salt makers lived. Records of Food and Goods in the Ming Dynasty recorded five wells,namely,Nuodeng Well,Shanjing Well,Shijing Well,Dajing Well and Shundang Well. In the sixteenth year of Emperor Hongwu(1383)in the Ming Dynasty,there was established the Salt Distribution Supervisorate of Five Wells,with Nuodeng Well as the former site of the government office of the Supervisorate. In the second year of Chenghua Period(1466)in the Ming Dynasty,the central government sent Huang Mengtong a native of Fujian Province and a successful candidate of the imperial examination at the provincial level to serve as the commissioner of the Supervisorate to supervise the five wells for nine years. Eight wells in the Qing Dynasty included Shimen Well,Nuodeng Well,Dajing Well,Tian'er Well,Shanjing Well,Jinquan Well,Shijing Well and Shundang Well. The salt industry was under the control of the central government. Local income was regulated by the salt taxation,with the private sectors distributing the incomes. The salt well lands had gradually formed their central positions in the economic,cultural and political development. In the second year of Emperor Chongzhen(1629)in the Ming Dynasty,the prefecture government moved from the old prefecture site along the Lancang River to Jinquan Well(Baofeng). Because of the narrow terrain of Jinquan Well and the slightly wider area of Shimen Well,the county government moved from Baofeng to Shimen Well in 1929.

According to The Records of Yunlong Prefecture written in the year of Wushen(1728 )of Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty,there were more than 400 households around Jinquan Well,more than 200 around Nuodeng Well,more than 100 around Da Well,200 around Tian'er Well,more than 30 around Shanjing Well,and more than 100 around Shijing Well, more than 100 around Shundang Well. Historically,salt produced from Yunlong Salt Well were sold to Tengchong,Baoshan and even Myanmar. Salt merchants also transported local cloth,tea,rice and yellow tobacco from alien lands back to Yunlong for sale. The circulation of commodities promoted the contacts between Yunlong and the outside world. The merchants from all over the world gathered to make their goods flow smoothly and their businesses flourish. It was constantly influenced by the Han culture. The eight wells in Yunlong were permeated with the style to advocate Confucianism and education. During the Ming and Qing dynasties,there were three successful candidates of the imperial examination at the highest level in Yunlong,including two in Nuodeng Well(Huang Shaokui and Huang Yunshu),and one in Dajing Well(Ma Jinwen). Among 23 successful candidates of the imperial examination at the provincial level,22 were from Nuodeng Well,Shimen Well,Jinquan Well and Tian'er Well. There were dozens of government-funded candidates for the imperial examination and more than 100 successful candidates of the imperial examination at the county level in Nuodeng Well alone. Historical celebrities in Yunlong such as Ma Hanlin(Ma Jinwen,a member of the Hanling Academy),Yang Mingbao(governor of Shaanxi),Wang Jiuling(president of education),and Dong Ze(the first president of Donglu University,that is,Yunnan University)were all from salt well areas.

●Laji Salt Well

Located in Lanping County,Nujiang Prefecture,Laji Well has been rich in iodine-containing salt since ancient times. It is another salt producing area in Erhai region. Lajing Well is a salt well under the Yanlu Mountain which is the source of two salt rivers,namely,Bijiang River and Bishui River. It was called Laji Well by the local people and"Lagaiman"in the language of the Bai Ethnic Group."La"means"tiger"and"Gaiman"means"the crowing of a rooster". It is said that the place was first occupied by the Hushi(tiger)clan,a branch of the Bai Ethnic Group. The clan chose a crowing rooster as the sign of the auspicious land. The Hushi clan crossed thousands of rivers and mountains,but the rooster remained silent. As soon as it set foot on the land,the rooster began to crow. Therefore,the clan settled down on this land and called it the auspicious place with a crowing rooster of the Hushi Clan. Later,people found salt mines here. They drilled wells and made salt. Added with the character of Jin(well),the name of the place became Lajing.

Laji Salt Well was found in historical records as early as 1843.Li Tianyou,a native of Meixian County in Western Sichuan,officially applied to open a salt mine in Lajing Town,Lanping County. In Lanping there are nine salt mines,namely,Lajing Well,Wenjing Well,Shangjing Well,Qijing Well,Xingjing Well,Laomu Well,Xiajing Well,Xiaoyan Well,Wenzhuang Well and others,among which Lajing Well is especially famous. Without salt mines,four counties of Nujiang Prefecture(Lushui,Fugong,Gongshan counties and the former Bijiang County)have their edible salt transported from Lanping and the land of the Han Ethnic Group.

Laji Well is a must-pass place of Salt Horse Ancient Road. Lajing Well is close to Madeng Dam of Misha River in Jianchuan County in the east,Lanping Dam in the west,with winding peaks and ridges in the south and north. With crisscrossing streams and lofty mountains and ridges,it is difficult to travel. With perennial blockage of wind,frost,rain and snow,emergency rooms are set on the ancient road to offer muchneeded aids. Salt Horse Ancient Road links Dali and Lijiang to the east,with access to the middle of Yunnan;Nujiang River to the west with passage to Myanmar and India;Weixi and Deqin to the north with ways to Tibet. As a result,it is an important link and bridge connecting different cultures,religions and ethnic regions.

2.2.2 Salt Wells in Bishui River Basin

●Misha Well

Misha Well is located in the southwest of Jianchuan County,Dali Prefecture. It is adjacent to Qiaohou Well to the south and to Shaxi Town,Xiangtu Township and Madeng Town (Yanlu Mountain is within Madeng Town )in Jianchuan County respectively to the east,west and north. It has an altitude of 2, 200 meters. The Misha River(the upper reaches of Bishui River)flowing through the Misha Well joins the Heihui River after it reached Qianhou Well. In the land of Yangbi,Hehui River is again called Bishui River. Misha Salt Well is located in Mixin Village in the Misha River valley,with high mountains on both sides. It is a narrow alluvial valley.

According to the research of Yang Yanfu,an expert in Nanzhao History,Misha Well was mined in Tang Dynasty. Man Shu written by Fan Chuo in Tang Dynasty says that"Jianchuan has the Xi Nuodeng Well. "Located in Yunlong County(Nuodeng Well) to the south of Jianchuan,the Xi Nuodeng Well still produces salt. In the Tang Dynasty,Xi Nuodeng Well belonged to Jianchuan. It was close to Misha Well. "Xi Nuodeng Well"was translated from the language of the Bai Ethnic Group."Xi"has a Chinese equivalent of "Xin "(new). As a result,Xi Nuodeng Well means New Nuodeng Well. In Misha is another place name. Pronounced as"Gengian"in the language of the Bai Ethnic Group,it means"an old well"in Chinese. From the relative"New Nuodeng Well"and"Old Well",it is inferred that the Misha Salt Well may have been exploited in Nanzhao. If this is correct,the salt production of Misha Well should be more than a thousand years old.

In the Yuan Dynasty,Misha Salt Well was mined by the government. In the first year of the Period of Baoyou in the Southern Song Dynasty(the third year of Xianzong of the Yuan Dynasty,1253),after he led the army to attack Dali,Kublai Khan left garrison personnel in the local area,with Shaxi and Misha Well guarded by Mada,a son of Mazhi(Hazi),a subordinate of Kublai Khan. According to Ma's Family Cemetery in Shaxi and "Ma Dezhou's Epitaph"written in the 20th year of Emperor Daoguang(1840),Mazhi,the first settler,guarded Heqing with his meritorious service for Kublai Khan. Mada, Mazhi's son,guarded Misha and opened up two brine wells. Mazhi's grandsons,including Ma Sha,Ma Xianlin,Ma Duo,Ma Jin,Ma Xuan and Ma Shuanggao had successively performed meritorious deeds and were given the titles of hereditary officials. In the Qing Dynasty,during the time of father and son Shuanggao and Fuzong,the Misha stone tablet was buried upside down. They never took the hereditary system. It can be seen from this the mining of Misha Well in the Yuan Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty,according to Brief Records of Misha Well Events ,Misha Well has stoves set for 830 persons,each of who subscribed to salt of 689 catties,amounting 57, 180 catties a month. One hundred catties were sold for 2.8 taels of silver,amounting to 1, 601.26 taels of silver a month. The inscriptions of Zhaoying Temple in the second year of the Period of Tianqi in the Ming Dynasty are as follows:"Every permanently residing cooking household offers five hundred dimes."It can be seen that it was not an exaggeration that"the people of Misha Well were happy to work with sealike brine veins". "Well Springs in Jianchuan Prefecture"in Records of Yunnan Kingdom written by Jing Tai in the Ming Dynasty says that,"Misha Salt Well is 150 Chinese miles southwest to the prefecture. Misha Township has brine springs,the water of which is boiled into salt blocks shaped like horseshoes. An administration is set up to collect the taxes.""Native Products of Jianchuan Prefecture"in the same book records that"Horseshoe-shaped salt is produced from the brine water of Misha and Qiaohou wells". Later, The Records of Laws and Systems of the Ming Dynasty says,"Misha Well Taxation Department of the Heqing Military and Civic Administration belongs to Salt Distribution Supervisorate of Five Wells(Five Wells of Yunlong)". Essentials of Reading Historical Geography written by Gu Zuyu in the Late Ming and Early Qing dynasties says that "Misha Salt Well,located in Misha Township,one hundred and fifty miles southwest of the state,has a commissioner of the Salt Tax Department,who took charge of two salt wells,namely,Dajing Well and Xiaojing Well".

In the Qing Dynasty,the entry of "Salt Wells"in Volume Ⅴ in the book Records of Jianchuan Prefecture published in the years of Emperor Kangxi says,"Misha Well,under the jurisdiction of our prefecture,shall submit a taxation value of 400 taels of silver each year,with addition for a leap month and deduction for a minor month(with 29 days)in lunar calendar. Jianchuan originally ate from local salt of five wells in Lijiang. Later,because of lack of output from the five wells,it ate from the salt from Misha Well under the jurisdiction of the prefecture." General Records of Yunnan published in the years of Emperor Daoguang says"Misha Well has two areas of salt wells,namely,Misha Well and Qiaohou Small Well. Located in Jianchuan Prefecture,Heqing Prefecture,it is 1, 260 Chinese miles away from the province. It has a commissioner of the Salt Tax Department,with 82 cooking households. It had a quota of 47, 301 catties of salt with a taxation value of 393.333 taels of silver,and a quota of 10, 020 catties with a taxation value of 120.24 taels of silver. In the ninth year of Emperor Yongzheng,the quota was set as 57, 221 catties,with a taxation value of 554.893 taels of silver and a surplus of 49 taels of silver. The salt was transported to places under the jurisdiction of Heqing,namely,Guanyin Mountain,Shangniu Street,Shibeiping,Guanyinge under Jianchuan Prefecture,Shaxi,and Shiqu".

In the Republic of China,according to"Salt Affairs"in the book Chronicles of the Continuation of General Records of Yunnan ,in the 28th year(1939)of the Republic of China,Western Yunnan set up an administration in Dali,with Misha Well under its jurisdiction. Later,it was under Qiaohou Salt Well. After reopened,it was still under Jianchuan County,run by the local government. In the 23rd year(1934)of the Republic of China,it returned to the government,with an administration set up.

The rock salt caverns of Misha Salt Well were all opened after the start of the Republic of China. In 1930,a cavern was built in Kaiyuan,but later it collapsed. It was restored in the twenty-fifth year(1936)of the Republic of China.

●Qiaohou Well

Located in the middle section of Heihui River in Eryuan County,Qiaohou Salt Well has its written records in the Ming Dynasty."Local Products of Jianchuan Prefecture"in the book Pictorial Records of Yunnan written by Jing Tai in the Ming Dynasty says,"Horseshoe-shaped salt is made from the brine of Misha Well and Qiaohou Well". Qiaohou Well was vigorously started in the late years of Emperor Daoguang. Since the period of Emperor Xianfeng,it had been thriving,becoming the largest saltproducing land in Erhai region. The establishment of Qiaohou Well began in Shangjing and originated in the early Qing Dynasty. It was formerly a densely planted area,where residents of Dacun Villages often herd cattle on nearby hillsides. Strayed cattle were often found at the bottom of high grass,drinking water from streams. Chen Wenxiu,a cattle herder,did not know the reason at first. Later,he grew curious and tasted the water. Only then did he know it was brine. He brought water back and boiled for salt. It gradually spread across the village. Many villagers carried buckets to fetch brine to boil for salt. At first,they boiled for and sold salt privately. Later,they helped with the taxation of Misha Well. By the end of Emperor Daoguang,Zhang Baishan,a bandit from Sichuan,gathered people to boil for salt exclusively,with 30 cooking stoves set up,and without paying any tax. At that time,it was turbulent. With murderous rivalry between Sichuan and the Han land and fighting between the Hui people and the Han people now and then,the whole country was in no peace. The government were too busy to crack down all of them. After the start of the operation of salt wells,there was a great effect. With abundant output,there were excessive salt. Salt produced from two wells were difficult to sell out. Located in a deep valley without any village around,it was not easy to have Shangjing Well safeguarded. Therefore,Shangjing Well was closed,with efforts concentrating on the Xiajing Well. In inspecting the Xiajing Well,Yan Zhi called it "Yongsheng Well". After Yang Wuhan resumed its control,it was changed to Qianhou Well. The gist of the rises and falls of Shangjing Well is like what is aforementioned .

In the early Qing Dynasty,Chen Wenxiu,a herdsman in Qiaohou Village,often caught sight of his cattle drinking from a pool of water. He tasted and found it salty. As a result,he took it back and boiled it into salt. Subsequently,he told the villagers about the discovery,who then went to the pond to carry brine back and boiled it into salt for sale. Later,people excavated the brine pool into a well,which was entrusted to merchants for operation. It was named Shangjing Well,which helped with the taxation of Misha Well. This approach had been followed for more than 200 years. At the end of the period of Emperor Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty,Zhang Baishan,a native of Sichuan,gathered people to occupy the well. He first built sheds as shelters and constructed 30 cooking stoves for salt. Later,seeing the brine in the well in Xiajing Well was of better quality,he re-excavated it. More than a month later,he dug out a salt mine. As a result,he widely recruited workers and merchants and raised funds to start the business. He successively dug out five caverns,namely,Tiancai,Dibao,Fuguo,Lianzhu and Xiaozhen. Salt was produced from both the mine and the salt water. The number of salt stoves increased rapidly to 80,expanding the scale of production.

In the seventh year (1857 )of Emperor Xianfeng,the historically famous Du Wenxiu Uprising broke out in Yunnan. In the eighth year(1858),Du Wenxiu sent his subordinate Yang Zhenpeng to station in Qianhou so as to expel Zhang Baishan and crash down powerful villains. With the purpose of "selling salt and collecting taxes to pay for military expenses",an all-around planning and renovation was carried out in Qiaohou Well. With Heihui River flowing past Qiaohou as the boundary,Qiaohou was divided into two parts,with two earthen cities built in the north and south. In the north city were built 52 salt stoves,which fell within the taxation responsibilities of cooking households. In the south city were built the administration office,salt granaries,ThreeSaint Palace,Fortune God Temple,which were guarded by garrisons. In the eleventh year(1861)of Emperor Xianfeng,after the completion of the north city,all stoves and sheds in the original mine mountains were burned. Cooking households were relocated to the place named "Yongsheng Well". It boiled for salt and collected taxation to pay military expenses. With the establishment of the two cities,the salt production and management area of Qiaohou Well formed a system,making Qiaohou well the earliest salt well site constructed according to regulations in Yunnan.

In the ninth year(1870)of Emperor Tongzhi,the Qing army conquered Qiaohou and set up a salt commissioner's office to manage salt affairs,with taxation submitted to the Salt Distribution Supervisorate of Baijing Well Area. Later,Xiaozhen Cavern collapsed. During the period of Emperor Guangxu,Fuguo Cavern was abandoned while Changfa Cavern was completed. General Yang Yuke of the Qing Dynasty invested in Qiaohou and Laji well areas. He also changed Yongsheng Well into Qiaohou Well. Since then,Qiaohou Well has occupied an important position in the salt industry of Western Yunnan.

●Sanchangju Salt Well

Sanchangju is on the western slope of Diancang Mountain. After going downhill from the west slope,one can reach Maidigan Street. After crossing Diancang Mountain and going downhill from the eastern slope,one can reach Xizhou market.

Why is it called Sanchangju(Three-Factory Bureau)?It is said that more than a hundred years ago,there were three salt factories and a salt preservation bureau. From this it was named. At present,on both sides of the upper reaches of the Jinzhan River,there are circles of stone walls and ancient tombs with patterns of birds and animals.

How could the Three-Factory Bureau fail?Did the salt water run out?In the late Qing Dynasty,a teahouse keeper in Maidi heard that domestic animals enjoyed drinking water on the north bank of the valley of Jinzhan River. The herdsman drank a mouthful of water and found it heavily salty. The teahouse keeper was beaming with smiles. He returned home and gathered some money. He recruited some laborers to dig out salt wells where there was flowing salty water. A factory was built,with large iron boilers set up to boil for salt. The business was booming. For quite some time,there appeared many horse caravans and merchants. As snow-white salt sold well in all directions,snow-white silver streamed into the pockets of the keeper. As the capital increased,one salt factory developed into two or three. With silver and fear of thieves,they invited the local government to set up a salt preservation bureau. The mountain corner yielding salt got the name of the Three-Factory Bureau,while the mountain where salt wells were dug out was named Salt Well Mountain.

However,such a prosperous scene did not last long. The salt in the Three-Factory Bureau sold well,but it hindered the sales of an old neighbor—Qiaohou Salt Well. The owner of Qiaohou Salt Well was red with anger. As he was worrying at the end of his wits,a high-ranking official from the Hanlin Academy,who was a native of Eryuan County,returned from the capital to visit his relatives. The owner of Qiaohou Salt Well rushed to ask for help from the official. He said something that Qiaohou Salt Well was an old salt factory. The reason for the sudden cut-off of the salt water supply was that the new salt factory of the Three-Factory Bureau took away the salt dragon of the old salt factory in Qiaohou. It took away the geomantic omen and the financial resources of Qiaohou Salt Well. Coincidentally,in visiting his relatives in his hometown,the official suffered from a disease with a large neck with a gourd-like sarcoma. Back in the capital,at the sight of the swaying gourd-like sarcoma on the neck of the official,the emperor asked for the reason. He took the opportunity to throw abusive words on the salt factories of the Three-Factory Bureau. He said that his disease was due to his consumption of the salt from the Three-Factory Bureau. He also said that many commoners suffered a lot because they ate salt from the Three-Factory Bureau. He asked the Emperor to issue a decree to close the salt factory of the Three-Factory Bureau. Hearing the official's false accusation,the emperor immediately issued a decree to Dali. With the crushing force from a higher authority,the Salt Preservation Bureau could not safeguard the new salt factory. As a result,the salt wells of the Three-Factory Bureau were closed. As for whether the salt dragon led to the Three-Factory Bureau returned to Qiaohou Salt Factory over one hundred miles away,it could only be known by witches. However,the livestock of the Three-Factory Bureau always liked to drink from the stream. As a result,the people of the Yi Ethnic Group relocated from Daliang Mountain were fond of the grassland of the Salt Well Mountain. Free-range livestock would not run far. Moreover,with the stream flowing to Jinzhan River,the fish in the river were fat and tasty. It was a fact .

The aforementioned geographical environment of the Erhai region takes the Luoping Mountain-Diancang Mountain line as the boundary. It led to advantageous and disadvantageous existence and development conditions of early human beings in the eastern and western parts of the Erhai region,as well as different living resources for the people.

Looking from ancient cultural sites in Erhai region,"There are more than 30 sites excavated and investigated at the foot of Diancang Mountain in Dali. They were judged to be from the prehistoric period. They are distributed in the gentle slopes of Foding,Malong,Baiyun and other peaks,which are within 500 meters above the surface of Erhai Lake... The Dianchi Lake Cultural Site is near the water,while Erhai Cultural Site is on the hillside,each utilizing its own natural environment. " In this prehistoric period,Erhai Basin had not yet formed. It was not necessarily the best living area for prehistoric human beings.

From the natural geographic framework formed by the two salt rivers including Bijiang River and Bishui River and Yanlu Mountain as their place of origin,in the longitudinal valley area of Hengduan Mountains from the mountain trough in Lanping County,Nujiang Prefecture,in the west,and the geographical boundary of the Cangshan Mountain-Luoping Mountain line in the east,it was featured by a warm and humid climate,dense forests with rich animal and plant resources,and densely distributed salt wells in ancient times. It was the best survival and development area for prehistoric human beings in hunting periods. There was likely a brilliant prehistoric culture of mankind. From cultural relics such as stone wares,pottery,animal bones,ornaments,bronzes and others found in the Neolithic cultural sites on Jinding Ma'an Mountain,Tongdian and Yushuiping in Lanping County,Nujiang Prefecture in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River,we can see that they are consistent with the historical context of the late Neolithic development to the Xia and Shang dynasties,the Period of Spring and Autumn,the Period of Warring States and other stages. It is proved that they were highly similar with the Neolithic cultural relics found in the middle reaches of Lancang River and Erhai region. They have the characteristics of Lancang River culture and Erhai culture respectively. It is proved that as early as 4, 000 to 7, 000 years ago when the late Neolithic Age entered the Bronze Age,the ancestors of the salt wells were producing,living and reproducing in the warm valleys,arm and cool mountainsides and open trough lands in Erhai region, with a long history of civilization . Because the salt wells in the two-river basin of Bijiang River and Bishui River are mostly located in high mountains and gorges,it is difficult to preserve ancient cultural sites because of the influence of geological changes such as floods and landslides. The lack of archaeological data makes it difficult for later generations to uncover her mysterious veil.

With the changes of geological conditions,Cangshan Mountain continued to rise while the surface of Erhai continued to decline,and the Erhai Basin gradually became the most suitable area for human survival and development. The ancient salt well areas are limited by the harsh geographical conditions such as high mountains and gorges,the center of human social development shifted to Erhai Basin and wider intermountain trough lands. The ancient salt wells in the valley where the primitive human beings lived and developed are dwarfed. They are easy to grow old and die out prematurely,which were replaced by the later Nanzhao and Dali culture. zdcxQ+Fm4g4vICYAc6jlKNwMRiZqHLU1sHsHVY0OjcV4RmboGhIJETydmq4zndT7