Yuncheng Salt Lake: Uncovering The Chinese Dead Sea Secrets
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Yuncheng Yanchi is located in the south of Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, at the northern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain.Yanchi is bordered by Qiligang and Shishiligang in Yuncheng City to the north, Zhongtiao Mountain to the south, Anyi to the east, and Jiezhou to the west.The salt pond is 20 to 35 kilometers long from east to west and 3 to 5 kilometers wide from north to south. It is surrounded by high ground and a low-lying shape in the middle. The total area is about 130 square kilometers. The surface of the pond is 320 meters above sea level and the water depth is 0.22 meters. It is a natural inland salt lake.
Yuncheng Salt Pond is rich in resources. In addition to salt and Glauber's salt, there are also magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium, bromine, boron and other rare elements. The history of Yanchi can be traced back to the early spring and autumn, when the pond salt in Hedong was already very famous.During the Two Han Dynasties, salt officials were set up in Anyi County to manage salt industry affairs.The output of Hedong Salt Pond in the Song Dynasty reached 82.5 million catties.By the mid-1980s, the salt pond had an annual output of 30,000 tons of raw salt, and the annual chemical production capacity was 37,000 tons of alkali sulfide and 280,000 tons of anhydrous glauber's salt.
Because its salt content is similar to the “Dead Sea” in the Middle East, people can float without sinking in the water, so it is known as the “Dead Sea of China”. Yuncheng Salt Lake Scenic Area is located in the central area of Salt Lake Lake. It is a national 4A-level scenic area, integrating humanities, ecology, greenness and health.Relying on the unique salt lake resources, the scenic area has developed tourism projects such as “floating in the dead sea, black mud health, hot spring hydrotherapy, mineral salt physiotherapy, and salt spray to clear the lungs”.
The formation of Yuncheng Salt Pond can be traced back to the period of the tectonic movement of the Himalayas in the Cenozoic Era, and it has a history of about 50 million years.Due to the large-scale subsidence of the ground to the north of Zhongtiao Mountain, the original prototype of Yuncheng Basin and salt pond was formed.After long-term precipitation and evaporation, a natural salt lake has been formed.
Yuncheng Yanchi's unique geographical location and rich natural resources make it the largest lake in Shanxi Province, which has a profound impact on local economic development and cultural inheritance.From the legendary battle between the Yanhuang Alliance and Chi You in the “Zhuolu" near Yanchi, to the many legends of Yao, Shun, and Yu in the southern Jin Region, to the development and prosperity of the Xia, Shang, and San Dynasties in Hedong, Heluo, and Guanzhong regions, they are all within hundreds of miles of Hedong Yanchi.