Ancient salt fields discovered in Shandong

Archeologists have found an old salt mine dating back more than 800 years.

Archeologists have found an old salt mine dating back more than 800 years.(Photo: CCTV.com)

The site is in Shouguang county in East China's Shandong province. The place was known as Salt Town a couple of centuries ago. But this is the first time salt fields have been found dating to the 12th century Jin Dynasty. Archeologists are examining an area of about 25-hundred square metres. They've discovered numerous canals and wells - as well as implements for making salt.

It is expected the find will shed more light on the local economy of the Jin Dynasty. At that time the production and distribution of salt was monopolized by the government.