ECONOMIC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600200260-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 29, 2011
• Sequence Number: 260
• Publication Date: September 2, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

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~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~a~R ~R l ~~ ~ ?~
COUNTRY
sus.iEOT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE Of
c: ~sslricAl~c?r; ,LSD^,uc~~:;:~
CEP,ITRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCti 'tEPOR"~
t1W peetltlpr Cpefeltl[ leroasenoe.ll[rnao tea aenoeec pc[anae
oP mp tlat[ao traM-a e!m!e acx Dw.:va or n~a [enoaaac en eD
p. >ti C.. a! etltl fa. et uaeto. rn tp>!!su[,!a^ oa can aer[urea
p- [[p Qupttltllp to eat tleap[a 1f> ea aM>U,aepY[D raaroa Ix ra0?
exaaau [N uY, aIMDBattp!! O/ ta~a roetl ~[ ProNlaltt0. aor~.
plop ,srDatletlotl patltele[0 [a aDDT OD Tai tDlal tl>l ee anuxxo
Y pgplm tl{Capeepl P/ Spa a1C[Irl1H RAaacT. __ -~
DATE ;DISTR ? ~er,L'eu}ber 1948
N0. ear- PACCS ~
NO. OF ENCLS.
WSTED BELOWI
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
'THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION FOR THE '?ESEARCH J
USE. OF TRAINED INTELLIGENCE ANALYST:
SOURCE Chinese periodiael, .3'i,:~_', {OeDgraphy), voi V, No lf?2, Juno 19~G, ?China
9eographa.ao1 Soaioty, Pei-~pt o? , Syoatoran> {FDI3 Per Abe 19441 -- Infoa:~ai:lan
.fi.~'?
The history of the gait industry bogan hbou~ 260 BC when Li Pin observed
of what is now Cht msg-tu. A rim- ,
i*
'
v!
.y
_n
c
and enlarged salt syringe in the
able industry aprussg uPt reachir.IP itarpoak 4n the T?ang Dynasty {600?'900 AD).
_ _ __.._aa _.. rtly,. s:[vwrl![ewnt IDOIlODa19 aII
salt wan introdw:ed at this tiao.
Severe te~.4lon tender the Yvan D~aa?ty Doused the indnetsy to languish.
bn~ it revivod considerably uaflor the i`ting. Tho troubled years of the 6tancYv.
congaos, bron$ht absa~~(t another depzeunion from rirriah the inzuctry only ~--
Is the 19th Century the satt~prodnaing rogian was divided into ^~ dietri^.ts
0be ant~tin8 of~osasearraaterrea7.ttdve tonin ornal dieor3ers, P~et~ i>a~etuaS
to the enterpxiaee in Sseahe:an.
The administration a~f the salt monopoly under till 8epublia folloxs t:.a
pattern of that under the 9npire wi4h riinor ahengee 'Phere era ?~ districts
in Ssseslaran, divided iat~+ three circuits, uador ono pxrovinciei office. ?9'eri-
ane methods of ta;sing. rationinE; and lieeneing have Donn employed :hraugh the
aeatWriee of governcla:-t control.
Tasstion oa Ssectatau sell bus nor bean unified. with l4 rate alasaifioa?~
tSona on a gradau-ted scale> In 1938 the total .eveaD.e was mare than 33,70,000
yaa:-[ s figprs that has since incrocsad due to groeter prohus"?ion sad. inf].ati[in.
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oi' the basis. These Pere again dissalvad by ua-darground streams and beceiao
yellow bevies. .
Thus, Emeohwea salt mqy be classified under the fiv9 types: coal: sal?~,
whits brine, black brine, yellow briao, at-d mixed brine. A11 these are deep
'below the+ ooriace. The deeper types are I,n00 metera'drnan, the shallower,
ssa?eraL score metare. Ia ganerel, ysllax brine 4s 200 to b00 meters deep; .
5sealnrast has rich reaonresa of iaanq typos of salt beasaae the reoi.oa -aaa
8 marine bad in the Trisects period, and the salt d.eposita were farmed by the
dxging up of the ees, Because of varying conditions of deposition, pure saline
deposits beemme rook salt, sad xesk solutions became saline made which in aulr
tertanaaa aglutioa beoams brine, that is, white brine; white brine, becoming
oontaminated tarn su12'ur compaunde, baoama black brine.
Tn the Oretaceons period the saline materials in the strata surrounding
the basin ware. rsttder sooathering, dissolved in snrFace or underground atrecjmo
cad oolloatsd as small grains of salt in the red strata in the coatral portion
This rsv0m3a is uo' sir~li factur in ~,K;vorii.aat fin~co'o.
E. act,~~of S?~'~ty in Sze
smeller drill the else of the tube, substituted. This drilling of a amal.Ior '
bore Coatianoa aatil the brine Se reached. Tho smaller bore is uelsliy 2 to b
Saohss is dimaete.^; those for rack salt are larger, about B fo 8 inches. Ordi~
aesily, the drilling of a xeL' roqul.'cee 1 or 2 years; if limestone or bard. rock
xell's bare. 'Pie tube is tightly aoal.od by mesas of tung o?1, lic~g, coarse
iiaea, and twice. It ie thew easpeaded in the voll from a xindlaee, and a
eeterel~of these hollow oyliadewe are inserted in aneti-aosion, to present tine
sides a""rem Dating is sad the snroaae crater from 17oxiag in. Then s xood3n.fracie
is bailt over the aperture, from whirb,ia suspended a drill shaped lixa a 2iah ,;
tail or horse hoot. ae aacasian regniroo. The drill is aorkAd with +~ trea3la:`'.
~ mmen labor. cad the debris rtaaved b~ means of a aceop or bneket,, d: ter .
the watea~-bea'Sag ba3e base bees passed, cud the har3 strata appbar. a con
type of drill. is sabetitnted. This is made by holloceing out Cao hardxood alaos:
then patties Ohem together to fora a long tube, whaso diamator ie that of th3' ,
Prie~itite methods are still uned, l4hon a spot has Decn eelocted'~
a gond"siged opening Se made la ~fnich a hollmv stone cylinder im placed, the
honor gortioa being a foot or more in dimmotor. Ae the hole ie dseponel.,
n. 'drilling veella
c. Transport of the 3rina
From tats at the m~;nth of the xo11, the brine is taaneported to
Due. Arem-lag s rape oter a large ?~ffee3. The ne~* methd3 Se e.oaa^poworod. using
aaohiaeryt with copper cables sad sal bwekets, A load of brine in the bay 00
tobee wi11 weigh d00~-b00 oatZies ~i-e catty enusl.c owe read one-third Pa~,',~,
while the ?,argss strel baskets x111 aoataia mare than 1,200 oattiee at a time.
Mttls. A bamboo tube or wcodem basket ie let d~ma with a.rope and the brine
healed vpp is it, by herd or wiadlaea. In the case of doaper we11e, a baetboo
oR: is solutions, Tro methods are used .'or the ren+oval of brine, the old an3
the aeM, The old. method Haas lawman or anSmal labor, the forme: 1a tYio ehallosrar
b. Drasriag IIp the Brine
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j
cast! r~ -- --- u~. n? .,,~~ Fja-
>qg quires mare 6ime and.Ynel.
b. efficiency of wo_]cern Se leas in rrJnmor due to the halt.
e
o
r e olloniag reasons:
eo?al variations within each year; in general, proportion is largest in uinter~
end least in rntivs
r f
*h P
o. Qillegera xho xork in the sell minor when farm work is elack;'are
drama beck to the farss during the 'busy eeasoa.
d. There ie ,more deaand ~'ar +talted food, and hence for salt, ir. rKntere
C. Inii,nsnae e4 the t b~set1'E ,'
I. Salt Industry and Y.abar
1
ng ..n o ark seasons. .1
large proportion are local landless poaarztr and rri.grartr brought by eoonomia
rtrNO. this heterogeneona noPnlatioa pordr prablemc ~x' a3a'u.etma;~t end aoaiel
order.
s
t. m
T. lion. sroh a large tivmber Could not came
Eton the lnoel pgpulat.on, except as ?armerr xork3 "
'lRte 1~7wtg area ie.aa:d *o rw.bE,r over 200.00(? xorkere of al%'tyt~ee;!
sad the entire induct hr
lf
!1 ^
i'
tnm
. ?. ge ere.
oars!
re ers, ueaally
rasa Dodd men to a ;t:pe. Trauaport xorkerr ?nc;lu,do oarriore, @rives?e, boat-~
main gto in lar
b
o r
f
e Kai iremea, boilers, kettle repaf.rerr, etc.,
aoer~~ five men to a.palr of etovoe? pipe mar and bri
ductioa and ?.ransport. The former ir-clnde drillerev~~~ uv.war,aoa `vzyn pro-
cerPanterr, ms.aona, etc. .
ranging from ono to 50
'1?
I+abor in the raft fields Se organized on tyro ochedules, ptooexork sad
tS,msaeor'r_. ~.lisd boi],ere are nsaally paid by the hoar, drillers sad brine
drexerr b9 the asonnt, FtyGd ie proaiclod ?ry the ompinyera, in addition to
sager. The wade are doto~nined by lo,~al, living rtaadardr, the ordiniary prl,co
of labor being ono thane Labont a pi of rice for 4 honrrt ~torY., i{oat of
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'!`here ie now one plant Lelaswhore the author aaye ri~ in Tzu-kung
to exploit thin by-product. If similar plants could be getup at the largRr
salt xarhe, obemicai: and defense industries would grott and the se7.t bnsinesa
4n 3sechwen would got 6~x'eater returns.
u
curd, or as a xhitewaehing aid, St has often boon discarded., 8m4over, during.
the war a etndy of this 'uy~-prodnet revca].od the presence of petasaium, magreai-
um, calcium, hrominum, and ether elemento, vliich could be need in t`ae m.~ng of
maxpr useful ohemi^al
eeo
of4 the earfaee. The reeulti ' -pur? salt rkimrr:ed
ng producto, oamis~g by various steps any? atagee, ,
are pore salt, crude sett, and cakes in c+hioh both ere found aide by eido. ~e
a rule 20,000 cattioe o4 brine make 1,600 cattier of pare sect, diter these
products are removed, there semaina a conoentrated mother liquor, sometimes
called bitterns. This ie i~asd ao fertilizer o~, ~n the man
f t
2eCanee nature]. brine contaire r^arty impnritiea; it mart be refinod
before being fit for human consumption, Three methods are used, ~~th vary-
ia8 details of technical prooass, which htrve crown out of trial.-aud-error
experience. Ia general, impurities are precipitated by means of beau 3uice.
the brino is either warmed r1o+di.y, or bailed and flak
f`
method it need for ~ com -----+~-'. raryo, ?a+o rauru
eyance to the mare diotant boilers,
2. Heflning
:STAY
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where dineaae is readily contreated. Eighty or 30 percent use opium to etw~
taia Choir nerves. than adding to the wretohedaeaa of their lives end the7.r
economl.c bnrdana. The larger ~rorks have 1n maw cases set up rcoreatioaal
facilities to butter the living conditioae. There are reading clearer for
learalag to recd, ~d schoolo for Cho workora? children.
the laborers are Hies; women and 'children morale"picw a?ier'i:ha clndera~ Sa,1~
workers toil all fleUr in vary mot and dirty places b9 the wells and fnraact:s,
purities (throe-loathe of a pint 8re needed for every 10C cattiea of salt).
7La`go amounts of brick.., lumber, and otona are also Hooded.
timea~for boiling brine). Bamboo is in largo demand for tubes, pipes, baokota,
oto. Also aaadod are, lung oil, twine, sad eoyb?aeas for preoipitatin,g imr
Salt Enduatry and Traae
Materials needed for snit r~~ufectura include: , ?
a. Implem?enta sad Materials
]~?uh mall neodo easmallg thousands of drill?, buckets, scocpa,
other. buaiaarae; the population grows while; the food sapply dimini.shea; 8roir.
b. ~"ood
Yihorever Cho salt industry prospers, people leave fnra:P.ng Sor
eooae~leai at all. .erase and brnei+ has ,little cnlo:ic valno,'aaa their uaa is
ab
eastes~,soothern. sad seaters Saechw~rt. The false of the coal used ie ou
owe-thlyd the value of the salt produced., The me of wood for tssl 3a not?
Bovr kiade of Fuel are need is 88e^.}~an for making ralt-' mtnral
gee, coal, rood, and grass or brash. 0f those, 6~ is the most xeluable. Ora
gew mall can serve several haadred kettles, or produetloH own be lowered Lo
keel ~?et one or two kettles going. aoxB in valna is coal, which is found in.
b
c. Htilol
All the :.run Zaalo are sAucfactared luoally, exoeirt for aoco stool
rope and kettles; eo iron praspere along with asltb Amaboo. wood, utd atone
are also iooal prodnctae Seam of the tnctg oil erg food i~ produced where coax
saoosd. and the romainde2 ie brought Sa from aleerr-ers. Oea comae from aospbivo"
xsila, opal is deiiv~red tram neorby mines, wood sAd brush from the liiliaidoe.
Oosr~xsr gouda are louad ist variety aa3 c~oaatity? All kinds of W`ado fiaerie>:,
a'od acme towaa Sa the salt fielLa babe bocano handrefl-goy' markets duo to the
d? hieoel.laneous
idh,ersvor ;;he salt industry flonriebee, there is a corrocpottding decline
iu egriouitvso. for the following roaeonas
a. Sa1L arassdacture regni.rea a large labor eng?iy, which it draws.
4a part, from Cho cooatryeids. ~ihere "Lho Boil io poor, men leave fan~ing to a?eke
salt. 9::~ie !a .most noticeable is unrth. Sseohaan.
b. IH the vicinity of Cho salt worlw, some brine escapes 'nto the
mail, afteoting it unfavorably 3or the gra~oth of amps.
3. Salt Iaduetry tmd Garioa]:tnre
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c. `"' Where coal ia'1tcl~li~ 3oraate`?axo cut'"do+in'for'fuol,' Thio'uc.:?s'
The relatioa hero le that of cause and effect. Pac]I interest !o
vitally atfoated by rho otattae of rho other, The salt business needs good
oomnnurl.oatione for the marketing of its products sad. the supply at materia.s.
Yt has therefore taken an aotive part in developin6 aighvaya and cart roads,
the opening of canals, sad the deepening of. rivers.
D. ],~,q~tribution,~ the S,~t~Irdtistrg
,
ar-d gee for heat. The anmzal Prnduatirn ie 4,000,OL'0 gicala Lone, picvl oqua].e
abvnt 133 p
This region iacludes i;he Sw~-thing field in Yiutg County and. the '"z~-
liu-thing field in E4r-ahtu- Cauntr, in south aenbrat Szoa}nvan- Thoro are X18
Tack ta].t trolls., about 1,(00 meters deep; 74 bleak brine wells, aomo~ohat
ehatlowver, with a oall.nity of 18-2F} dmgroes one; 2Q yella~v brine voila, Still
ehallo~rer, with a aalinitg of 7A degcooe Bavma.
ie uee~ for drm+ing
Tkore era 4?10 tae vdlle. ~taotria or ete~ po~~er
,.,
The seise orbit of this region 3a extensive, co~oriaE; a lerga part of
the province, mast of Sxaiahow, and tha ~soetarn panto of Hapah end. Huneri. Tranti-
port is meatnly by water, but t:~ac}:e _and carte, packs. and' oool3ea are also ~z9ed. ;
1'rodnctior. of salt faom thin region accounts ter one half of the :u~tes
sad. laser. of She province. The oualitq is good, msciag it popular aad easily
eelable. Since gas is pleAti?ul, teed costa are kept doxn, the field ie profit-
able. However, three fifths of the product aomee from roak salt1,, and throw
fou~rthe of this supply has bean Laken out= it is estimate73 tt:At 141aS?I1 TOa02`Pa0
x112 last only 30 years more. Crse raoorvoo are disSaishing too, so the lonh+- ',
.this provisos, cnd eotorxle Sato ~zenei and Hatton. Sales in 194'. were 2.16(`.919
pionie.
enable lead ie alloxed to gross grass and brus`z for the furnaceo. The am?aal'?
rralaotier is ~,pT5,000 picnls.
}darketing _?rom this region ooaers a gwd part of tTie northern half of
and there a:e maltq !:~{rzritios, the brine is concentrated before bei;~ processed,
and foroiga matter etraltted ant. E4zs1 used io mostly xoou and graaa; eves
yellow brine, era shallow, sad are e3eily drilled. Aa astonishinB mambor, eomcr-
thiag over II0,000, have been opened, of which 86,000 produce brine. :'rimi:iv?'
2. North Szechwan 8egion
Dss~ite ooneidersble production, the eaoaomio value of the industry
in this region is email, dn9 to a chain of un?uvorable coaditione nne. no l.~rga-
soals effort to avorcoaee them;
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plenty o'" eaaentiel resources arul easy transportation has a high economic value.
gee Gars boon discovered, but sot exploited, The proximity of opal fields
assures a supply of feel for salt maanfacture. All told, this region vrith
This roglon is still las?g~ly uno~loito3, 31sok brine, petroleum, sad;
road. Salon is 1993 totaled 1,237,572 plcnl.e,.
aides wido atrotolaea >i 3lkang, Ynnnan, ?i~wefchow, and 13tgseh, Transport 1a
mal.nly by the ?din Ho and CPt?ang Chiang (Yangtze) , and to a leaser osrtent by
ie coal, obtained from nearby mines, .ta~mral pradnct~on as s,~,vuu picusa..
Tho sales tarritary ie large, e;~bracing 4b cauntiea 3n Szschwart, be-
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, "Lo--eluur ~:nc7: Chion-'+ii+a' RoGion .
This region 13as on the idle Ho, sroet of the P1r-tuns r3gione At present
yellow brine with a salinity of abort 10 degrees 13awne, is taken from a depth
of 2590-900 .motors, Alresdq 5;554 rvol3o hecve born drlliod, ldodern reethc3s are
meters deep. Same era on Dead bars, covered over with rivor water morn tl-.an 6
4. Bcaet Szec3n*an Region
Thaao.creils,, with a few eaceptiana, have white brine from limestone
beds, with a mix-immn of impuritioa. Prlsfa-boex~ia,g 6trat3, folded sad Rear th0
st.ttsee, are often affeoted by eurfaao water, eepecia],ly in summer, The trine
Sa dilated averaging 1.2 to +i,5 degroee Bsume.. P1o walla are Sara tlraa 100
'Phis region 3s also largely unoxploited, and little ie yet kroan ae
to its.seeeraee. It haA the rdvantagea of erssy extraatioa and proresaing;.
abundance of foul, nearness, of potential merlcets, and easy ta~ensportatioae
portions of west Ht~eh and eoatheaet Shonei. 7,ocal etreaae and the ch'an~ 3h1
axe used for transport, with aomo portage.' Saloe in '1943 ve>e $14,102 pleats;
shortage Of fuel. ?'~'he Salt 6abelle has net the catcausl production quota at more
oatbreaIt of the rr3r, there vas ~ sudden drop, thel a atesa? rieo, duo to th3 -
Iarg: xeetxnrd migration. Production reac3aed its peak in 1941. Since then
there hoe boon a falling off, d~ae to laol: of capital, low :ailing price, and
eaaaal average vas 7 million picul.e. ))taring the vr~ prodnotion roce,? At tin
produce abort 243,000 pianls a year, which is marlcetad locally.
8. Otber J~fiaor Begioar
1
The five salt works of Chink-den. Tzn-cbnng, 'Pa~?ten, Yiizrlien; sad I'?and,A.-
shsai are oombiaed here for d.eocription beoanoa they are email, widely euattcrad.,
rend only loosllq important. All these 1+olle contain yellow brine, an6 none is,,
31aee the war began, the Szechwan salt laduatxy has bona very prrteperoua,
because coastal prodnotion sorters all fell into eaaemy hands, sad ooimtmmere hart
to Qe1-e~ ohiaf2y era sugplias from the voet. Bat became of pear ntatv.,gement,
costs were eaocessive. 7lhila the iadnetry could maintain itsali' in eiarTimr, yew
with comaamioatione restozsd sad sod sF1t sold in the 4nterior, Szeclaoan oari
Las foaa3 it lord to comprte is tho natiana]. ntarhet; Valose a ions-torn pirm
of i~rosome:at can ba pat into effect, this induutrg will decline, orith adverse
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reau].te to genersl liealihood and. national r~vgmie. Such a plan o% improveana.it
b. Imprave tochni.gne znd oquipmont far procenaing. IIae eodern d~rlll-?
va4-e in pro?i.aing arose, trial borin~;a should b~~ undertalcsn. Present we11s
should ba, deepened to tap ncnr strata. Hock salt should bo minod by mxca~ation,.
sot b9 dissolving and drawing out as liquid. ,
a. Dri11 nex, dooper uelYs at carefvily chosen points. S'allo~ring enx4-
1. lncrease of Productioa
b. Ssl the nso of salt in indastatlr, rstd hake full nao of n11 by-
rates to tho coat of productioa and traaaport.
a. The govormnent authorities should aecuro ouitable distribution, by
aeaigaing Bales orbits for the variona sources of supply, and ad.~nating ozciee
2. F.lil.argement of Market
a` SEaploy Oxperts to Piecover 3nfl utilize gas reeervoe, 4n an intu111-
b. ~tfeet freight. ecoreny by~ arran~lna return loads of raorchandiae',':.
fcr aach ehipAant of sell. '
4. Br~.argnnat of. She]. Supply
Present avaSlable resources aro di:nir3ehing, nck ae ircoa moat bo found:
and tapped. and inatit>rting netr omrZOnies ir, procoesin~ must be institntea.
2'uvar~i t~aaa ends:
8nild the pra~eoted railways.' ~dercantilo dist:^i:kution under govorxmient stirrer,
~i:sioa xill oquatizo eapply and aanand.
a. Ta~rove tha watarwr~Ye sad h3dln+eya, adding vehieleo tidhoro heedea~
prOdttcts,
S, 7~rovmaant o4 Tranaiostati.on
b. Incseaae ontpnt ~ coal airoa atzr eecare hotter tianaportation.
gwtt, syst~eiaatic basis.
c. Pradote thn groroth of foroete, vhero vrood can bo aatisfactorSly
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