Zhuo Mayangzong

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhuo Mayangzong, Female, Unspecified, from Mangkang, Tibet, is a third-batch national representative bearer of Shaiyanjiyi (Ⅷ-153). The tradition is documented in Mangkang, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shaiyanjiyi in Mangkang, Tibet: The distribution center of well-salt sun-drying lies in Naxizang Township and Quzika Township, Mangkang County, Qamdo Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, where the salt wells and fields are laid out on the two river terraces along both banks of the Lancang River. The brine wells by the river are among the well-salt sites in Tibet closest to the water; salt workers rely solely on the evaporation brought by the Lancang River's moisture as their driving force, producing fine, white salt grains with a faint watery brininess. This salt-sun-drying belt is completely different from the high-temperature boiling-salt method used in Sichuan and Yunnan: there they use fire, here they use wind, and the tools are reduced to just three items—wooden buckets, brine ponds, and salt fields. Mangkang was the first stop on the Tea-Horse Road from Sichuan into Tibet; salt was carried out from here, flowing in the opposite direction to the tea. According to research, local salt-sun-drying began as early as the Tang dynasty.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Female, of Tibetan ethnicity, born in September 1965 in Mangkang County, Tibet Autonomous Region. National representative bearer of the Sun-Drying Salt Technique (the Well Salt Solar Evaporation Technique), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. A well salt solar evaporation technician. From the age of twelve she learned salt making under the guidance of her elders, and through constant practice her skills gradually became proficient. Salt production at Yanjing is a very ancient form of solar salt making, carried out in the same way as in the Tang dynasty more than a thousand years ago, and relies on natural drying in the wind. Salt workers carry brine up from brine wells beside the Lancang River in wooden buckets, pour it into their own brine ponds to dry and concentrate in the wind, and then pour it into the salt fields to dry further until it crystallises into salt. In her practice of solar salt making she has been good at summing up experience, linking past and present, steadily improving her technique and the quality of the salt, and she is eager to transmit the craft, devoting herself to passing her skills to the next generation. Within the documented technical tradition of Shaiyanjiyi in Mangkang, Tibet: The salt wells and salt fields of the Tibet Autonomous Region are located in Naxizang Township and Quzika Township, Mangkang County, Qamdo Prefecture, where salt production has a long history. Well-salt sun-drying in Naxizang and Quzika townships still follows traditional methods: salt workers carry brine up from the brine wells along the Lancang River in wooden buckets, pour it into their own brine ponds to air-dry and concentrate, then onto the salt fields to air-dry and crystallize into salt. This traditional mode of salt production relies on extremely primitive tools and techniques. Mangkang was the first stop on the 'Tea-Horse Road' entering Tibet from Sichuan, and historically made significant contributions to the transport of salt along this route. Mangkang well-salt production is a remarkable wonder in the history of human civilization; its unique and primitive salt-sun-drying craft embodies the toil and wisdom of local people. The prosperity of the salt industry promoted Mangkang's development, turning it into an important window for external political, economic, and cultural exchange in southeastern Tibet. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Carrying brine from the well": Salt makers carry brine up from the Lancang bank in wooden back-tubes, one load at a time. "Concentrating brine in the settling pond": Brine is poured into private ponds where wind carries off water and salt crystallises out. "Crystallising in the salt fields": Concentrated brine is poured into the salt fields where sun and night wind complete the crystals. "The wooden brine tube": The wooden brine tube, wide above and narrow below, is the key tool; its hoops are replaced as it wears.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2009, Zhuo Mayangzong was announced in the third batch of national representative bearers for Shaiyanjiyi, with Mangkang, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Shaiyanjiyi in Mangkang, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Mangkang, Tibet as its declared area, and Tibet Changdou Mangkang County Culture Bureau as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Zhuo Mayangzong · National Representative Bearer Archive