(To Quoc) - Trang Muoi, a 10-hectare field located on a rocky slope in Go Co village (Pho Thanh ward, Duc Pho town, Quang Ngai province), dating back 2,000 years, was recently discovered as evidence of the salt-making techniques of the ancient Sa Huynh people.
Sa Huynh land is located in the southernmost part of Quang Ngai province, associated with a famous culture dating back about 3,000 years ago. This place has mountains reaching out to the sea, creating a poetic and captivating landscape.
Looking from the sea to the mainland, you can see poetic beaches and majestic mountains as beautiful as paintings. Among them is a rocky beach near the Go Co community tourism village (Pho Thanh ward, Duc Pho town) floating in the water, containing many interesting things. The rocky beach is called Trang Muoi, located between the deep green forest and the vast ocean.
The salt flat is located between the sea and the mountains. This area is about 800m from the ancient Sa Huynh settlement and 500m from the burial site.
Here, thousands of years ago, the ancient Sa Huynh people took advantage of the rock foundation and available seawater to make salt for daily use. When the tide rose, seawater flowed into natural reservoirs on the coast. The sunlight evaporated the water in the lakes, increasing the salinity of the remaining water.
Then the ancient Sa Huynh people took water from the reservoir and poured it into the salt fields. The salt fields are small cells on the rock surface, which are either natural depressions or were created by people using clay to build banks.
About 3 days later, the seawater in the stone cells evaporates and crystallizes to form white salt. On average, one stone cell yields 2-3 kg of salt. The ancient salt field is estimated to be about 10 hectares wide, with one side bordering the sea, the other side bordering the mountain, and located within the space of the Sa Huynh Cultural Special National Monument.
In this salt field, the ancient Sa Huynh people took advantage of the rock foundation and available seawater to make salt.
The salt field is 800m from the ancient Sa Huynh residence and about 500m from the Sa Huynh burial area. When visitors come to Go Co village, they will have the opportunity to visit this ancient salt making place.
"According to my grandparents, the method of making salt on rocks here has been around for a long time. When I was young, my great-grandmother did it, then my grandmother. Later, it was my mother and then me...", said Mrs. Bui Thi Van (Go Co village).
The people of Go Co skillfully prepare seafood after catching by adding salt to water, then placing it in a large pan and boiling it. The anchovies and mackerel are washed, placed in a bamboo basket, then put into the pan to boil and then removed to drain.
Fish processed in the above way, carried on the shoulder poles of Go Co people, walked hundreds of kilometers to mountainous districts such as Ba To, Minh Long (Quang Ngai) but still not spoiled.
"Making salt on rocks is not very productive, but in return the salt is very good, we save it for family use, and sell the surplus to customers. This salt is also very good for making fish sauce. Now many people buy it for thirty thousand per kilo, but there is not enough salt to sell...", Ms. Van said.
Salt fields are small cells on the rock surface, natural depressions or those created by people using clay to build banks.
To this day, Go Co people still make salt on rocks, continuing the tradition of their ancestors.
Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai Provincial Museum, said that the way of making salt on rocks in Trang Muoi is similar to the ancient salt fields of Duong Pho in Hainan, China (dating back to about 800 years AD). This is also evidence that the culture of the ancient Vietnamese people existed in parallel and developed brilliantly in many aspects like many other civilizations in the world.
"Sa Huynh salt village is located in the space of the Sa Huynh Cultural National Monument and is an inseparable element of this archaeological culture. The tradition of making sea salt has continuously lasted from Sa Huynh - Champa - Dai Viet without interruption. Therefore, it is necessary to study the planning of Trang Muoi site within the Sa Huynh Salt Cultural Heritage Park," said Mr. Khoi./.
Source: https://toquoc.vn/doc-dao-vung-lam-muoi-tren-da-20241120153318612.htm
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