This fan-shaped salt field is located in the first working zone of the Qigu Salt Field, south of Jiangjun Fishing Port and north of Qingkunshen. Ground was broken by Taiyen (the Taiwan salt corporation) in 1975, and they began to produce salt in 1977. The Qingkunshen Salt Fields are the newest and most distinctive salt fields in Taiwan.
The fields’ arcing shape is radially centered on what used to be the salt workers' dormitory. The fan-shaped salt fields are interspersed with water supply ditches, drainage ditches, salt pans, and paths between the pans. Between the ‘ribs’ of the fan are square salt fields, with the crystallization ponds for salt collection located closest to the dormitory, making it easy for the salt workers to work nearby.
It took only ten years from the opening of the fan-shaped salt fields to the conversion to mechanized salt drying. Many of the salt-drying laborers originally worked for short periods of time; only during the peak salt season would local residents be recruited to help collect the salt. Thus, they didn’t set down roots like workers in other parts of Tainan did. After the end of salt drying in 2002, people left the area; no drying goes on there now.
The salt fields are a great place to enjoy a colorful evening sunset. The dusk sunlight shining on the surface of the salt fields creates a romantic scene, making them a very popular place for selfies. If you can get an aerial view of the structure of the fan-shaped salt fields, you will get to see their vast scale and beauty.
