Salt-making tradition revives with technology in Xizang

According to Konchok Tsering, Party secretary of Tsakha township, now salt is still mostly harvested by hand from the salt lakes for the purpose of ecological protection. But instead of using sheep to carry the salt, vehicles now do the transporting.

"Since salt is a renewable resource, by doing so, the lake returns to its pristine, snow-white state by the following year, leaving no trace of the harvest," he said.

From 2019 to the end of 2024, the plant has sold 870 tons of salt, generating total sales revenue of over 4.25 million yuan and a net profit of 2.78 million yuan. The salt operation has created jobs for 593 people, mostly in flexible roles, with wages totaling 1.16 million yuan.

Today, Samdrub no longer depends on salt harvesting to make a living as he receives over 20,000 yuan annually through government pasture subsidies and local dividends.

Yet, every autumn, he still returns to the salt lakes, humming the traditional song once sung by his ancestors as they heaped salt under the open sky — finding joy and a bit of extra income in an enduring legacy.