Tang Dynasty saltworks discovered in N China's Tianjin

TIANJIN -- Archaeologists have recently unearthed the ruins of a salt-making workshop dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) as well as a large number of relics in Dongli District of n\North China's Tianjin municipality, the municipal cultural heritage protection center said Wednesday.

The salt-making workshop is located in the Junliangcheng site, where a large-scale rammed earth platform has also been discovered.

The excavation of the site was launched in April 2021, and an area of 8,000 square meters has been excavated so far.

Ancient wells, pits, ovens and kilns for salt making and tracks of wheels have been found at the site.

"This is the first time that ancient salt-making ruins have been discovered in Tianjin. It is of great significance to the study of the development of the salt industry in northern China in ancient times," said Gan Caichao, a researcher at the center.

Household utensils such as pottery jars, pots and bowls, building parts including tiles and bricks, as well as copper coins and animal bones have also been found at the site.

Gan said the latest findings and other sites and tombs previously discovered at the Junliangcheng site offer valuable material for the study of the history of the Tianjin port.