The weather in Daying county

"Dig two wells, cook in one bite, bake salt in one bite, build a house, marry a daughter-in-law and have a baby."

This nursery rhyme depicts the life of salt producers in Zhuotongjing Town, Daying County, Sichuan Province.

In fact, China's method of digging wells to get salt appeared as early as the Warring States Period. Li Bing discovered brine during the construction of Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project, dug the first large-diameter salt well in China-Guangdu Salt Well, and started the earliest salt production. However, the salt production of this salt well is limited. It was not until A.D. 104 1- 1048 that the industrious and intelligent people in Zhuotongjing Town, Daying County, Sichuan Province invented the method of digging small-diameter salt wells. At this point, underground brine mining has entered a new period.

Zhuotong well, also known as Zhuotong small well, is a salt well that uses thick bamboo tubes to go straight into the ground to isolate fresh water, and then uses halogen-absorbing bamboo tubes to extract brine through large bamboo tubes. The diameter of salt well is small, the depth of well is about130m, and the amount of brine is large. This method of drilling wells to get salt has been used since the Song Dynasty and has a history of nearly a thousand years.

According to textual research, Zhuo Tongjing's drilling technology was more than 800 years earlier than that of the West, and like four great inventions of ancient china, it made immeasurable contributions to mankind. Nowadays, the technology of drilling deep wells or holes for drilling oil and gas fields was first invented by people in Zhuotongjing Town, Daying County. Therefore, Zhuotong well drilling technology is recognized as "the father of modern oil drilling in the world". Lin Yuanxiong, an expert in well salt drilling in China, wrote in the book History of Well Salt Technology in China that "drilling technology is the fifth great invention in ancient China".

In Zhuotong Town, Daying County, Sichuan Province, there are many beautiful legends about Zhuo Tongjing's invention of drilling wells to extract salt. Mr. Yang Jiupei, a retired local teacher, told reporters about the legends of Yan Po and Salt god.

"Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a white-haired old woman named Yan Po who made a living by collecting firewood. One day, it was very hot and Mrs. Salt was tired and thirsty. Suddenly, she found a mountain spring flowing out of the gap, so she lifted it and drank it. Day after day, Shiva's hair turned black and she was strong all over. Realizing that she had drunk the mountain spring, she scooped water and went home to cook. In a cooking accident, the bowl filled with spring water was accidentally knocked over on the lid, and soon, white particles slowly appeared on the lid. Mrs. salt tasted it, and it was thicker than spring water, so she picked water and fried salt.

The story spread, and the surrounding villagers rushed to boil water and salt, and even fought for it. So Qi Huangong sent Guan Zhong to deal with this matter. Guan Zhong analyzed the causes of natural brine, and thought that there was plenty of salt water underground. He designed a set of tools for drilling wells, and from then on, drilling wells to extract brine to make salt came into being. In order to commemorate the achievements of the salt lady in discovering brine, people named this white granular salt as salt, and at the same time called Guanzhong Salt god, which was enshrined from generation to generation. "

More interesting than the legend, the real origin of salt production in Zhuotong Well comes from accidental "poaching" behavior. During the period of Li Qing in the Northern Song Dynasty, local officials imposed exorbitant taxes and forbade people to produce illicit salt. In order to facilitate concealment and concealment, so as not to be discovered by the government, the people tried to dig small-diameter salt wells, and covered small bamboo tubes with large bamboo tubes to extract brine and make salt.

It was this accidental excavation that created a small-caliber salt well in China and even the world. History has proved that the influence of Zhuotongjing far exceeds the salt production itself.

In 1980s, due to the development of modern salt industry, Zhuotongjing Town had only Dashun stove and three Zhuotongjing wells, which were the only Zhuotongjing relics in the Song Dynasty and even in the world. In May 2006, the salt deep drilling and pumping technology in Zhuotongjing, Daying County was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council.

In Zhuotongjing Town, the reporter witnessed the whole process of salt mining in Zhuotongjing.

The existing Zhuo barrel well in Song Dynasty has a diameter of about 10 cm, with no bottom mottling. Brine mining tools include salt truck, bamboo tube for absorbing brine and bamboo basket for containing brine.

When taking brine, gently move the salt truck to put the bamboo pole and connect it. After the bamboo pole goes down to the brine layer, the one-way cowhide at the bottom of the bamboo pole will automatically open under water pressure, and the brine will enter the bamboo pole. When the pole is full, the cowhide will naturally be collected. At this time, move the salt truck to lift the bamboo pole.

Hook the water into the salt water bamboo basket and take the salt water.

The next step is drying salt. The wooden salt drying rack is placed on the filter cartridge in a three-dimensional figure of eight, and the surface is covered with bamboo. There is a ship-like container at the top, which is called "Tianzhou". On this day, there are empty bamboo tubes extending at both ends of the scaffolding at the bottom of the ship, and there are irregular small eyes on the bamboo tubes. On one side of the salt shelf, there is a conical trolley with a bamboo tube installed on the surface. When drying brine, people walk on the wooden board in the outer ring to make the trolley rotate, and the brine is transported to the crane at the top of the salt rack through the bamboo tube on the trolley. Brine is scattered through the small eyes of the bamboo tube at the bottom of the gondola and evenly sprinkled on the branches. After the water evaporates, it is poured into a filter tank for filtration.

The last step of salt making is to stir-fry salt in the kitchen, shovel the fried salt on the kang, and the kang will become salt when it is dry.

From drilling wells to frying salt, this series of processes involves not only geography, but also dynamics and chemistry. What is commendable is that as early as nearly a thousand years ago, the ancients in China were already familiar with the truth.

Who is the real ancestor of human drilling technology? Countries all over the world have been arguing about this. Su Shi, a great writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote in "On Salt in Shu": "Celebrate the calendar and the emperor's blessing, and Shu will create a' outstanding harmony'". In the early 1980s, at the World Drilling Technology Seminar held in Vancouver, Canada, Russians claimed that drilling technology was invented by them, with a history of 200 years. Americans also say that they have been drilling for 300 years. When the representative of China announced with rich historical materials that drilling technology was first invented by China people with a history of nearly a thousand years, all the participants were dumbfounded.

Needham, a British scientist, confirmed this fact in his book History of Science and Technology in China. He wrote: "The deep well or drilling technology used to drill oil and gas fields today was first invented by China people." China's sinking technology is the father of modern oil drilling, which initiated mechanical drilling. The wisdom of China people has left an eternal and glorious stroke in the world drilling history. As Ming Jiang, director of Han Tao Museum in Daying County, said:

"Without slim hole technology, drilling oil is a dream. The historical significance of Zhuo Tong Jing lies in the fact that for the first time, human beings explored the treasures deep in the earth with the method of small-caliber drilling technology. Due to the exploitation of underground treasures, human civilization has been introduced into an unprecedented new era and the energy revolution has been pushed to a climax. "

Nowadays, how to protect, develop and make good use of the historical relic "Zhuotongjing" has become a major issue for the government of Daying County. Liu Hui, member of the Standing Committee of the British County Committee and deputy county magistrate, said:

"The county government attaches great importance to the protection and development of Zhuotongjing. In June this year, it is planned to invest more than 80 million yuan to protect, develop and build the scenic spot. It is planned to complete the development and construction of the entire scenic spot before the May Day holiday next year, and it will be fully open on May Day. "

Fu Rui is full of youth, and Zhuo Tong is brand-new. Zhuotongjing witnessed the birth and development of human drilling technology, the wisdom of ancient people in China and the splendid Chinese civilization, and will surely witness the bright future of Zhuotongjing people in the new era!