Salt is an essential condiment in our daily life. Of course, it is not only the taste of salt, but also the human body needs salt to help regulate it. Salt was not a short-answer food in ancient times, but an important commodity that could control the economic lifeline of various countries. In the early dynasties, most of the sources of the national treasury were salt. Therefore, the emperor at that time would never let private people sell salt. Once it was discovered, it was a felony. For ancient people, salt can affect all aspects of their lives, so this seemingly ordinary object will become so important.
In ancient Rome, soldiers would receive a special allowance called "salarium" on a daily basis. This allowance was not money, but salt. Although military pay later replaced salt, the Latin "salarium" remained. After the evolution of French and English, it finally appeared in the form of "
salary"
, which was used to refer to "salary" and "salary" in general. Nowadays, material life is very superior, and the importance of salt is ignored. However, the ancient history of China is a history of salt industry development, and it can be said that salt is the foundation of the country and the foundation of prosperity.
The reason why salt is so important is to start with the characteristics of salt. Salt supplement is necessary to maintain human health. The salty taste of salt comes from rich sodium. Modern medical research has proved that sodium can promote digestion, enhance appetite, assist metabolism, and maintain osmotic pressure and acid-base balance. The most intuitive feeling of salt in ancient times was that you were too weak to engage in agricultural production without eating salt, and marching and fighting was even more empty talk.
in addition, in ancient times, food was not easy to be preserved for a long time. The ancients invented the method of salting, and made vegetables and meat into pickles and bacon, so that the shelf life of food was greatly increased. People can keep it for their own use, and be prepared. Merchants make profits by selling in different places, similar to the current cold chain fresh-keeping transportation.
in ancient agricultural society, individuals met their own food and clothing needs through farming, but salt needed external supply. Besides the coastal areas, the salt producing areas in China are relatively concentrated, such as Xiezhou in Shanxi, Zigong in Sichuan and Huamachi in Shaanxi. Businessmen with a keen sense of smell first discovered the business opportunities contained in them and connected the originally isolated individuals into a trading network.
Qi was the first country to attach importance to the development of salt industry. Zhou Wuwang destroyed the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, and Jiang Ziya was sealed in Yingqiu (now Zibo District, Zibo City, Shandong Province) for his merits, thus establishing the State of Qi. Jiang Ziya practiced politics in Qi State, followed the customs, simplified etiquette, opened up industry and commerce, especially vigorously developed salt industry and fishery trade. Prosperous trade and relaxed business environment have brought great benefits to Qi. Biography of Huo Zhi in Historical Records has a detailed record of this: "The squire hopes to be sealed in the camp hill, the land is full of brine, and the people are few, so the squire advises her to be a woman, be extremely skilled, and get rid of salt, and then the characters will be returned, and they will all converge." Therefore, Qi Guan wears clothes and shoes all over the world, and Haidai gathers together and goes to the DPRK. "
Take Linzi, the capital of Qi State, as an example, and build a huge trade network by virtue of the water transport advantages of Gujishui. Export salt to foreign countries in exchange for grain and products badly needed by Qi. Linzi has gradually developed into the largest metropolis in the East. When Qi Huangong was in the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, Linzi had a population of 2,, which exceeded 35, in the mid-Warring States Period, and reached 5, in Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In The Warring States Policy, Qi Ce I, Su Qin once said: "There are 7, households in Linzi, among which I stole it, and there are three men in the next household, with 37,21,." The unprecedented population growth is a sign of Linzi's foreign trade prosperity, and it is also a comprehensive embodiment of the salt industry dividend.
People of insight soon realized the importance of salt industry to the country. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Qi State, put forward the system of "official mountains and seas", that is, the court monopolized the salt industry, and those who sold illicit salt would be sentenced to death. In ancient times, people's consumption expenditure was mainly used to buy food, and grain occupied a major position in commodity trading. Correspondingly, salt and grain were inseparable. If salt industry was controlled, the whole agricultural trade was controlled. In addition, salt also has the function of "invisible taxation". Personal salt consumption is very small, and it is not sensitive to the price of salt. When people buy bacon, they only pay attention to the bacon itself, often ignoring the tax levied by the state on salt in bacon. By controlling the origin, quantity, price and circulation of salt, consumers can be taxed. Salt tax has become one of the largest sources of financial revenue in ancient times, and it can even be called "the second poll tax".
the state of qi vigorously develops the salt industry, and through a huge trade network, it achieves the goal that everyone in the world pays taxes to the state of qi. With the backing of salt industry, Qi quickly became one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. With the successful case of Qi, Qin implemented Shang Yang's political reform and salt monopoly, enriching Qiang Bing and finally realizing the great cause of reunification.
in the early years of the western Han dynasty, * * * carried out the policy of "rest with the people", opened the salt market and allowed private capital to enter the salt market. Salt merchants soon became rich. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was in power, there were fiscal deficits year after year, and the wealthy folk businessmen "smelt and boiled salt, and made money or tired thousands of dollars, instead of helping the public to be in a hurry and benefiting the people". Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty realized the importance of salt industry to taxation. Yuanshou three years (12 BC). Sang Hongyang presided over the implementation of the "cage salt and iron" system and nationalized the management right of salt industry. In the salt-producing areas, a "salt company captain" is set as the representative of * * * to supervise the salt production of salt people, and the salt is purchased, transported and sold by * * *. It can be said that the salt-producing land was a well-deserved "state-owned enterprise" in the Han Dynasty.
during the new dynasties of emperor Zhao of Han dynasty and Wang mang, the monopoly of salt industry was loosened. The difference is that Emperor Zhao of Han Dynasty held a famous "Salt and Iron Discussion" and voluntarily released some salt bans, which was well received and affirmed by historians. However, during Wang Mang's new dynasty, the wealthy businessmen bribed local officials to "steal cooking" openly or semi-openly, and the salt market was hit by private salt. In 22 BC, the court was forced to abolish the salt ban. During the Wei, Jin and Three Kingdoms periods, various forces coveted the huge profits of the salt industry and launched a life-and-death struggle for Yantian. The policy of "state-owned" or "military camp" was implemented for Yantian, and the Sun Wu regime implemented "military camp" for Yantian, and the army controlled the production and sales of salt industry.
at the beginning of the sui dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the sui dynasty, opened salt fields and salt wells based on the idea of "benefiting the government and the people". Individuals follow the salt production system and obtain the right to produce, manage and sell salt industry. Smuggling salt without legal procedures will be attacked by the court. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the government's control over the salt industry weakened, and illegal salt was rampant. The government often arrested criminals who sold illegal salt, which led to many mutinies. Many leaders of the rebellion were born from selling illegal salt.
In the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi wrote a poem entitled "The Salt Merchant's Wife", saying, "The salt merchant's wife is rich in gold and silks, and she doesn't care about farmers and silkworms. North and south things do not lose their homes, and Feng Shui is a hometown boat. " Described the wife of a salt merchant's rich and comfortable life. In the middle of Tang dynasty, the "salt law" was implemented. Salt people organized salt production, which was purchased by the imperial court, and then sold to salt merchants at a higher price. Salt merchants transported salt to designated distribution points for sale. The imperial court controlled the supply of goods and mastered the wholesale link, which weakened the profitability of salt merchants and increased the country's fiscal revenue. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, salt revenue accounted for half of the fiscal revenue.
The Song Dynasty was a glorious period for the development of salt industry in China. The imperial court set up the transshipment department, which is the intermediary between the central finance and the local finance, and plays the role of communication from top to bottom. Transshipment makes it possible to specialize in salt affairs, strictly control the circulation of salt industry, divide salt sales areas, and implement the policy of sales boundary. A certain salt can only be sold in designated areas and cannot cross the border. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the selling price of green salt produced in Qinghai was 44, and its actual purchasing cost was only 5. In Xining period, the price of 1 meter of rice was 4, and the weight of 1 meter of rice was 1 kg. The value of 1 kg of salt was equivalent to 11-12 kg of rice. At present, the price of 1 kg of salt reached nearly 3 yuan. Through the operation of the Northern Song Dynasty imperial court system, the transportation and marketing system was constantly improved, and the imperial treasury was increasingly filled, and two-thirds of the fiscal revenue came from salt tax.
during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial court continued the practice of the song dynasty and implemented the system of "guiding the shore by guiding businessmen". Salt merchants need to pay a salt course to sell salt, get a salt guide, then buy salt in the designated salt-producing area and sell it to the designated area. In the Qing dynasty, salt people used ancient equipment to mine salt wells in order to obtain high profits. In 1835, the Shenhai well in Zigong drilled through thick rock strata and spewed out black brine. The salt workers may not have thought that the depth of this salt well has reached 11.42 meters, which is the first deep well of more than 1, meters, which is a miracle of ancient engineering.
Salt monopoly has promoted the development of the country, promoted social progress and ensured the stability of people's livelihood. It can be said that salt is an important strategic material at the national level, which has been paid great attention to by all dynasties.