【Haichuan Chemical Industry Site】Prehistoric salt-making site in Daxie, Ningbo, Zhejiang

The Prehistoric Salt-Making Site at Daxie, Ningbo, Zhejiang. The Daxie site is located in Xiachang Village, within the Daxie Development Zone of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province (Daxie Sub-district, Beilun District, Ningbo). From September to December 2015, in order to support local economic development, the Ningbo Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted preliminary archaeological surveys, explorations, and test excavations at the site, determining that its preserved area was approximately 20,000 square meters. From April 2016 to December 2017, with approximately half of the site’s core area being preserved in its original state, and with the approval of the **Cultural Relics Bureau**, the Ningbo Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with institutions such as Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, the Shanghai Research Center for Cultural Relics Protection, the Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the Beilun District Cultural Relics Protection and Management Office, carried out archaeological excavations in phases I and II over an area of 7,000 square meters. These excavations not only uncovered the earliest known remains of salt production from the prehistoric period in China but also provided new evidence and perspectives for studying the development of prehistoric cultures in eastern Zhejiang as well as the relationship between humans and the sea in that region.

This morning, after three rounds of voting by the evaluation committee of the Chinese Archaeological Society, the archaeological excavation project at the Daxie Prehistoric Salt Production Site, carried out by the Ningbo Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, stood out among all the competing projects. Thanks to its scientific approach to work, standardized project management, proper preservation of cultural relics, significant archaeological findings, great academic value, and positive social impacts, it was awarded the second prize in the 2016–2017 National Field Archaeology Award.

Value and significance: The Daxie site is a prehistoric cultural site where large-scale scientific excavations were carried out for the first time on an island in the East China Sea. The two phases of excavation not only yielded a wealth of relics and artifacts, but more importantly, the remains from the second phase included evidence of salt production dating back to the Qianshanyang culture period; this can be considered the most significant achievement of the Daxie site excavations. Through comprehensive research and multiple rounds of expert evaluation, it is unanimously agreed that its significant value is reflected in at least the following three aspects: First, the earliest evidence of sea salt production in China’s coastal areas was discovered in the remains from Phase II of the Daxie site. During the archaeological process, not only salt-making remains with a clear layout and relatively complete structure were uncovered, but also a wide variety of salt-making artifacts with comprehensive components were found. These remains and artifacts are very similar to the salt industry relics found in countries such as the UK, Germany, and France; they should represent the earliest remains of sea salt production discovered in China’s coastal areas. Its discovery and excavation have provided empirical evidence and laid a foundation for exploring important topics such as the origins and development of China’s sea salt handicraft industry, as well as transportation, trade, and social complexity in the coastal areas of eastern Zhejiang.

Second, the remains from phases I and II of the Daxie site exhibit both relatively typical elements of the Liangzhu Culture and the Qianshanyang Culture, while also incorporating new cultural elements, thereby displaying novel cultural characteristics and distinct unique features of their own. This provides new materials and new perspectives for constructing the prehistoric cultural sequence in the eastern Zhejiang coastal area and refining the prehistoric cultural phylogeny. Third, the Daxie site is located between today’s Ningbo-Shaoxing Plain and the Zhoushan Archipelago, boasting a unique geographical position. Its discovery and excavation hold great value as a reference for further studying various topics such as environmental changes between land and sea during prehistoric times, the relationship between humans and their environment, cultural exchanges and dissemination, population migrations and interactions, as well as the characteristics of marine civilizations.