Susha Shi

Susha Shi is traditionally believed to have been a tribal chieftain during the era of Shennong (some sources place him in the era of Huangdi), residing along the coastal regions of present-day Shandong Province. One day, while boiling seawater to cook game he had hunted, he accidentally poured seawater into a clay vessel and placed it over fire; when the water evaporated, a white crystalline residue remained at the vessel’s bottom. Upon tasting it, he discovered its savory, salty flavor—thus inventing the technique of producing salt by boiling seawater. This breakthrough enabled humanity to season food and nourish health. The ancient text Shiben records, 'Susha Shi boiled seawater to make salt,' and he has since been honored by the salt industry as the foremost Salt Ancestor. Throughout history, salt merchants erected Yanzong Temples in cities such as Yangzhou and Taizhou, where Susha Shi was enshrined alongside Jiao Ge and Guan Zhong—two other revered figures in salt history. As salt taxation constituted a major source of state revenue across successive dynasties, devotion to the Salt Ancestor remained vigorous and unbroken.