Taiwan Salt Museum - TAIWAN SALT HISTORY

As the bright sunshine reflected on the snowy white salt fields, the coasts on the South Pacific attracted the eyes of the Japanese Empire.

Taiwan had the better weather and technique for the production of solar salt compared to Japan.

In the 21st year of Emperor Guangsyu of the Ching dynasty (1895), Taiwan was ceded to Japan as a colony. To secure stable taxation income, the colonial government monopolized the businesses of salt, camphor, opium, tobacco and alcohol.

To satisfy the domestic need of salt in Japan, salt fields in Taiwan expanded from less than 1000 Jia (or 970 hectares) in the Cing dynasty to more than 6,000 Jia (or 5820 hectares) in half a century. The expansions during the early period of the Japanese occupation were all tile floor salt fields; earth floor salt fields were not adopted until the 1930s. In particular, the earth floor salt fields newly developed during the 1940s by the Southern Japan Salt Production Company dramatically boosted the total area of salt fields.

The Japanese abolished the salt monopoly at the beginning of the Japanese occupation and the entire salt distribution system in Taiwan developed by the Cing government disintegrated. In 1899 (Meiji, 32nd Year) the salt monopoly was reinstated and the operations of most of the Salt Administration Branch Offices were entrusted to Taiwanese gentry. In the same year, the “Taiwan Salt Field Regulations” was promulgated. In 1941 (Showa, 16th Year) the Viceroy’s Office ordered that all salt fields owned by Taiwanese must be merged within the Japanese-funded “Taiwan Salt Company”. Taiwanese totally lost ownership of the salt fields. As for the sales, distributors (originally the Salt Administration Branch Office) changed hands one by one over the years; eventually almost all of the salt business was controlled by the Japanese, with the Taiwanese dream of a salt business finally vanished.

”Certificate of Excellence in Salt Production” issued to the Gu Family

The Gu’s family at Lugang was deeply associated with salt. The salt fields at Lugang were applied and established by Gu, Sian-Rong in 1900 (Meiji, 33rd year).

In 1902 (Meiji, 35th year) Gu, Sian-Rong had accumulated an enormous fortune by investing in the “State Salt Distribution Corporation” of the Monopoly Bureau, where he assumed the position of director of the board and was in charge of the salt distribution across the whole island. The Gu, Jhen-Fu mentioned in the certificate of excellence is his son. The salt field was abandoned in 1964; no trace was left behind.

Wushulin Salt Field was located in Yong-an Township, Kaohsiung County today, and was established during the early stage of Japanese occupation. The salt field was sold to a rich businessman in Dagou (Kaohsiung City today), Chen, Jhong-He, in 1910 (Meiji, 43rd year). Chen also owned salt fields in Lingyaliao (Kaohsiung) and Donggang (Pingtung). “Wushulin Salt Production Company” was established in 1923 (Taisho, 12th Year).

The name of the company still can be vaguely seen in its office today (the photo on the right was taken in 2001).

In 1925 (Taisho, 14th year) total acreage of salt fields in Taiwan was 2348 Jia (or 2277 hectares) and the production volume was about 20 tons, of which 13 tons were shipped to Japan. The picture below is a map in the Taiwan Monopoly Journal published in 1925 (Taisho, 14th year) of salt field distribution and almost 100 “Salt Distribution Branch Posts” or salt ration distribution posts in Taiwan-Penghu area

Taiwanese salt industry expansion was driven by Japanese domestic need for industrial salt, and the image of Taiwanese salt workers also changed from agricultural to industrial.

In 1941 (Showa, 16th year) the Pacific War broke out after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. All of the salt plants ran at maximum output to support the Japanese Empire in the War. Salt related factories were built to refine gunpowder material and auxiliary fuel for airplanes; the salt industry in Taiwan became an important link to the Japanese war industry.

With scientific experiment and mechanical power, the nature of salt production changed. Scientific experiment helped with the arrival of technologies such as brine density measurement, salt product test, weather forecast, and the new type of salt field developed by the Monopoly Bureau through experiments, while mechanical power made the pump motor and train available.

Also, the additions of the refinery plant, salt boiling plant, salt purifying plant, laboratory (for testing salt products), and vacuum distillation tower promoted Taiwanese salt industry to becoming a member of modernized industry.