The Production And Sales Of Salt And The Effect On Economy And Society In The Southwest Region Of Tang Dynasty

As an important natural resource, salt once have a special achievement in the evolution of human civilization. Therefore, study on the salt industry history is an important area of research in ancient economic history. Salt made unprecedented progress in the Tang Dynasty, so salt industry of Tang Dynasty is rich in content. In Tang Dynasty, salt economic of southwest region is characteristic, its production and sales is closely related to the regional socio-economic, affecting all aspects of social life. To this region as a whole, and making a comprehensive analysis of salt production, marketing and socio-economic within the region, not only contribute to a better understanding of the economic and social situation in the southwest region to deepen their understanding of the Tang Dynasty economy and society in general, but also provide useful historical reference for today's economic and social development in this region.In Tang Dynasty, the development of salt production in southwest is mainly in rapid growth in the number of producing area, improving the levels of production technology and increaseing in the number of output. In Tang Dynasty, salt areas of southwest are located in Shannan, Jiannan, Jiangnan 3 Dao about 29 states (including a state-yu Jimi State) 68 county, added to the 12 producing areas of Nanzhao region, producing a total of 80. The distribution covers most of Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan province. The distribution has shown two major characteristics that is expanding the scope of the distribution and concentration of distribution in some areas. The producing technology has developed in drilling well, drawing brine and boiling brine, but relatively pristine technology still exist in some places. Apart from a few well-known salt well, most single well's output is not high. The total salt output of southwest lack of a clear record, but also it should not be underestimated.The implement of salt monopoly system and the formulation of two sub-charge of the finance system", make the sale scope of salt gradually restricted and eventually form a system of sale scope. The market of well salt produced in the southwest confined in the southwest. In Tang dynasty, the salt distribution routes of southwest region mainly are:Dongchuan to Xichuan routes, shannanxidao routes, Shannandongdao routes and other routes. Merchants sold salt mainly through the market, others often cross over mountains and go remote village to sell salt directly. There are always the lake salt and the sea salt input in southwest region of Tang dynasty. The lake salt input is mainly through BaoXie road and BaLing road two main channels. The main source of the sea salt input are Wu salt and Annan salt. Occasionally, salt produced in southwest region output some places that is restricted to the adjacent counties.In Tang Dynasty, the salt-production played an important role in the socio-economic of southwest at that time. First, as the medium of national contact. Second, as a major component of national and local fiscal revenue. Third, it created the conditions for rural urbanization, which is mainly reflected in two aspects:absorbing a large numbers of people and make rural labor force transform; spawning a number of new counties, state-level administrative divisions. Fourth, have a major impact on the folk beliefs of this region. In Tang Dynasty, salt divinity belief is widely distributed in southwest region, the identity of divinity is diverse. There are two reasons for the formation of salt divinity belief. First, salt well is the place that people's livelihood depend on, the source of national wealth, so take the people contributed in the salt well as the divinity. Second, the formation of salt divinity belief is related to the tradition that is believing in witches and ghosts and practicing sacrifice of southwest region. In the process of formation and development of salt divinity belief, there are some distinguishing features:the service of worship is closely related with the salt production, the worship of salt divinity usually use methods that are constructing buildings and statues, the worship of salt divinity is promoted by officials.