Former salt flats in southern Taiwan are revitalized as tourist hotspots.
July 2002 brought to an end nearly 340 years of commercial solar sea salt production in Taiwan with the closure of Qigu Salt Field in the southern city of Tainan. Though roughly 6,000 hectares of salt pans running along the southern shoreline were repurposed for government use, the industry’s legacy lives on through sites dedicated to preserving its past.
One such spot is Taiwan Salt Museum, which opened its doors in 2005 on a slice of the original Qigu plot. Resembling a glistening pair of salt pyramids, the museum chronicles the history of salt production with lifelike displays. Joining the museum in keeping the tradition alive is Jingzaijiao Salt Field in Tainan. Operating from 1818 to 2000, it was the first place in Taiwan to pave salt ponds with glazed tiles to reflect solar radiation and speed up crystallization, producing finer and cleaner food-grade salt.
On the opposite side of the salt spectrum, Zhounan Salt Field in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County utilized earthen ponds, resulting in slower evaporation and rougher crystals appropriate for industrial purposes. Both Jingzaijiao and Zhounan have kept up original production methods so visitors can witness firsthand how the crystalline seasoning goes from sea to table.
Not all salt is created equal, however, as batches from different fields or separate harvests from the same field result in subtly distinct flavors. A trip to the salt field is therefore never complete without taking some home to try its unique taste.
—by Jim Hwang
A plentiful harvest at Zhounan Salt Field in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County
A worker tends the pans at Zhounan. The increasing cost of labor was a major factor contributing to the end of commercial solar sea salt production in Taiwan.
Elementary school students enjoy an informative day at Zhounan.
A tourist tries his hand at collecting salt crystals from one of Zhounan’s ponds.
Salt from different fields or separate batches from the same field can have slightly differing flavors.
Incense sticks are burned to celebrate the harvest at Zhounan.
Tools used in sea salt production have remained the same for centuries.
The salt mountain next to Taiwan Salt Museum in Tainan was originally stockpiled as part of preparations for a war with China.
The surface layer of a sodium chloride crystal is used to make top-grade table salt.
Colored salt is a popular souvenir for tourists.