Zigong 
There is a salt well drilled almost 200 years ago. It's about 1001 meter deep. Can you imagine 200 years ago drilling the well purely by manpower? So it was a world record at the time.
And this is a remake of the original mechanism to show people how 200 yrs ago they drill that 1000 meters salt well. Two groups of workers taking turns jumping over the wooden sticks, using the lever principle to pull up a wooden pole and keep pounding on the exact spot. For every jump, the worker gets one penny paid. And it's the highest paid job among all workers.
A gigantic stone mill-like wheel was used to pull up the bittern over there. It takes 100 turns to pull up just one barrel of bittern. And in the past, the job was not done by men, it was done by bulls.
Host: "Are these salt products all made by the salt from Shenhai deep well?"
Shop Assistant: "yes!"
Host: "Bath salt, salt for foot bathing. I'll get this. I'm sure this will definitely elevate my cooking skill 鈥 best salt in the country."
Altogether over 13,000 salt wells were drilled in Zigong using this crude method by generations upon generations of salt workers. The salt well drilling technique is even said to be the forerunner of the modern drilling technology.
The only salt museum in the whole country, but this place is definitely worth a closer look just on its own merit. Check out the architecture.
The museum is established inside the Shaanxi Guild Hall, an ancient compound built two and a half centuries ago by Shaanxi salt businessmen. From the lavish design of the main entrance, to the superb craftsmanship of the wood and stone sculptures adorning the performing stage and courtyard railings, every detail of the complex testifies to the thriving salt business at the time.
All kinds of tools, it gets really technical here. This museum houses over 400 objects related to salt well drilling. It's the largest collection in the whole country.
Some of the items collected here are really special and valuable, for example, the only complete set of the ancient well drilling tools, contracts, account books and drilling records. My suggestion is going to the Shenhai well first; it will definitely help you to appreciate the museum better.
