The Salt Pans of the Bohai Shore
Salt made the western Bohai coast worth governing. Changlu was the name of the whole salt shore, taken from the reeds at the water's edge; the working fields today are on the Tianjin side.
Changlu Salt Field
The Changlu salt field takes its name from reeds. The name appears earliest in the Water Classic and its commentary, given because the ground there was thick with reeds beside the water; its old range ran the whole Bohai shore, from Shanhaiguan in the north to the Yellow River mouth in the south. In modern times the working fields that carry the name sit on the Tianjin shore, with the industry grouped around Hangu, Dagu, Tangshan's Nanbu and Cangzhou's Huanghua. East of Huanghua the coast is Binzhou's, with 126.44 kilometres of shoreline, 96,000 hectares of ground fit for salt making, rock salt and natural brine among thirty-two proved minerals, and the Yangjia salt-works sites among the prefecture's five national monuments.