Míngtōng

Mingtong lies on the Qian River among the wooded mountains of the Daba range. Its salt wells gave the settlement its name and drew merchants into the hills. Brine was boiled here for salt over many centuries, with production particularly active under the Ming and Qing. Local legend tells of hunters who discovered a salty spring after following a spotted dove into a cave, giving one well its name, the Spotted Dove Well.