title: “The 1969 Discovery of Huichang Salt Mine: Ending Jiangxi’s ‘Saltless History’ – Geologic Exploration in Southern Jiangxi and Zhou Enlai’s Legacy” date: 2026-06-16 description: “In-depth analysis of the 1969 discovery of Zhou Tian Salt Mine in Huichang, revealing how the ‘No. 92 Instruction’ ended a millennium of salt scarcity in Jiangxi with core data of 2.14 billion tons.” categories: [“History & Culture”, “Geological Exploration”] tags: [“Huichang County”, “No. 92 Salt Mine”, “909 Geological Team”, “Jiangxi History”, “Industrial Heritage”] slug: “huichang-92-salt-mine-1969”

Geographical Connections

Jiujiang, Nanchang, Huichang, Zhou Tian, Junmenling, Qingjiang (Zhangshu), Dayu, Xihuashan, Tieshanlong, Xunwu, Anyuan, Yudu.

A Millennial Thirst: The Burden of a “Saltless” Jiangxi

Jiangxi Province, though long celebrated as a “Land of Fish and Rice,” was historically burdened by a profound lack of native salt resources [1]. For centuries, the survival of its people depended entirely on salt imported from other provinces, primarily “Huai Salt” from Jiangsu via the Gan River and “Guang Salt” from Guangdong over the Dayu Mountains [1, 2]. In an era of primitive transportation, salt was essentially “white gold.” Historical records from 1865 (the 4th year of Tongzhi) show that even after Jiujiang opened as a treaty port, salt distribution remained a tightly controlled monopoly [2].

This scarcity reached a breaking point during times of conflict. Around 1932, the Kuomintang blockade against the Central Soviet Area caused salt prices to skyrocket [3, 4]. At its peak, a single silver dollar could purchase only eight taels of salt, and desperate villagers reportedly traded four dou of rice for just one jin of salt [3, 5]. To cope, the Red Army and local citizens resorted to the primitive and unhealthy method of scraping soil from old walls to extract “nitre salt” [4]. Before 1969, Jiangxi had no industrial-scale salt mines, requiring the annual import of hundreds of millions of kilograms, including 6.85 million kilograms imported just in 1962 from Guangdong [6].

Red Memories: The “Salt War” of the Soviet Era

In this revolutionary cradle, searching for salt was a matter of survival. In the summer of 1930, while leading the Third Red Army Corps near Anyuan, Peng Dehuai noticed that soldiers and civilians alike were physically weakened by salt deficiency [4]. Drawing on his local knowledge, he searched the walls of landlord manors and successfully unearthed over 1,000 jin of salt hidden within the walls of a mansion in East Anli [4].

To break the blockade, the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic established the China Tungsten Company in Tieshanlong, Huichang, in the spring of 1932, utilizing the province’s “trump card” resource—tungsten—to trade for salt [7, 8]. Labor unions risked their lives to transport tungsten ore to Ganzhou or Fujian, selling it for 50 to 52 silver dollars per hundred jin to acquire salt, cloth, and medicine [9]. This legacy of struggle set the stage for the post-1949 determination to find a domestic salt supply.

The 1969 Breakthrough: A Miracle in the Zhou Tian Basin

The turning point came in 1969. Amidst the national “Third Front Construction” movement, geological surveying intensified in the mountains of southern Jiangxi. In September 1969, the 909 Geological Exploration Team (referred to as the 909 Team) was conducting a mineral survey in the Zhou Tian Commune of Huichang when deep drilling revealed massive subterranean rock salt deposits [10, 11]. This discovery shattered the long-held belief that “Jiangxi produces no salt.”

Geological data revealed that the deposit was located west of the Wuyang-Zhoutian fault zone in an asymmetric fault-depression syncline basin [10]. After a year of intensive exploration, the 909 Team confirmed a total salt reserve of 2.144 billion tons, including 946 million tons of pure sodium chloride (NaCl) [10, 11]. The maximum thickness of the salt body reached a staggering 625 meters. The scale and quality of this find sent shockwaves through China’s geological community, and by late 1969, a massive influx of technical personnel began the industrialization of Jiangxi’s first major salt mine.

The No. 92 Instruction: Redefining a Provincial Industry

On September 2, 1970, news of the massive find reached the Second Plenary Session of the 9th CPC Central Committee held on Mount Lu. After tasting a sample of the salt produced in Huichang, Chairman Mao Zedong personally wrote: “Jiangxi has found a large salt mine with reserves of 1.9 billion tons, likely more than this. Distribute to all comrades” [10, 11]. This famous “No. 92 Instruction” (named for its date) not only gave the mine a unique political status but also directly accelerated the industrialization of Jiangxi’s salt production.

To commemorate this moment, the Jiangxi Provincial Revolutionary Committee officially named the facility the “Jiangxi No. 92 Salt Mine” on October 1, 1970 [10]. In 1971, the State Planning Commission allocated 10.68 million yuan to build a vacuum salt-making plant in Xiaoba, east of Huichang City [11]. Although some equipment was later moved to the Qingjiang Salt Mine in 1975, the No. 92 Salt Mine maintained an annual output of over 5,000 tons and stimulated the growth of smaller collective salt works in surrounding counties [11]. By 1985, the mine’s industrial output reached 877,000 yuan, fulfilling the needs of southern Jiangxi and exporting salt across the province.

Resource Transformation: From Huichang to the Chemical Hubs

The discovery in Huichang acted as a catalyst for a series of findings across Jiangxi. In February 1970, the 915 Geological Team discovered another ultra-large rock salt deposit in the Qingjiang Basin (now Zhangshu City), with reserves exceeding 10.37 billion tons—making it the province’s largest salt base [11, 12].

By 1985, Jiangxi had successfully established a robust salt-chemical industrial chain centered on Qingjiang and Huichang. The Jiangxi Salt Mine in Qingjiang, equipped with 100,000-ton capacity vacuum salt-making technology, produced 60,000 tons in 1985 alone [12]. Scientific support from the Second Geophysical Survey Team, established in November 1970, utilized advanced seismic and gravity meters to further map subterranean salt structures [13]. These achievements did more than just end a “saltless history”; they birthed an entire sector of basic chemicals, including caustic soda and soda ash. By 1990, Jiangxi’s cumulative caustic soda production reached 684,100 tons [11], marking a historic transition from a resource-scarce inland province to a modern chemical power.

References

[1] Geographic Names of Anfu County, Jiangxi · Natural Environment · Climate
[14] Huichang County Chronicle, Jiangxi · Overview · Major Events 1969
[7] Geographic Names of Anfu County, Jiangxi · Economy · Mineral Resources
[15] Ruichang County Chronicle · Natural Geography · Climate & Calamities
[16] Huichang County Chronicle, Jiangxi · Natural Environment · Geological Structure
[17] Jiangxi Provincial Chronicle: Petroleum & Chemical Industry · Sectors · Chlor-Alkali
[18] Jiangxi Provincial Chronicle: Transportation · Waterway · Salt Transport [10] Huichang County Chronicle, Jiangxi · Industry · Jiangxi No. 92 Salt Mine [19] Pingxiang City Chronicle (Vol. 1) · Geology · Distribution & Reserves
[6] Quannan County Chronicle, Jiangxi · Commerce · Salt Management
[20] Jiangxi Provincial Chronicle: Commodity Prices · Modern Era · Salt Prices [21] Huichang County Chronicle, Jiangxi · Natural Environment · Water Resources
[22] Jiangxi Provincial Chronicle: Petroleum & Chemical Industry · Mining · Phosphorus
[23] Jiangxi Provincial Chronicle: Civil Aviation · Industrial Aviation · Aerial Surveying
[12] Jiangxi Provincial Chronicle: Petroleum & Chemical Industry · Mining · Salt Mines