2016年《文化資產保存法》修法後，無形文化資產增列傳統知識與實踐，迄今登錄案例僅有4項，包含芳苑潮間帶牛車採蚵、臺東新港鏢旗魚、名間埔中茶與鹿谷烏龍茶之傳統手工製茶，顯見無形文化資產之登錄仍具有發展潛力。從江日昇《臺灣外記》記錄移民臺灣的漢人「潑海水為鹵，曝晒作鹽」開始，製鹽技藝歷經長足的發展。然最早的「淋鹵晒鹽」技藝，卻在臺灣南部主要鹽產區為更有效率的「晒鹵晒鹽」取代，反而新竹沿海鹽田延續該技藝百年，直到1928年廢止。隨著日治時期臺灣總督府檔案的數位化，以及日本野崎家臺灣鹽業報告書的出版，讓研究清末日治初期新竹沿海鹽田保存的淋鹵晒鹽生產技藝重獲契機；上述調查亦為臺灣史上首度針對鹽田自然環境與人文經濟之科學記錄，此為本研究之首要目的。其次，新竹沿海鹽田為何長期保存生產力較為低下的製鹽技藝，而並未採用生產力較高的晒鹵晒鹽法？本研究認為，生產技藝的效率並不能完全解釋新技藝的普及；地理環境相當程度地影響生產技藝的採用與否。最後，本研究發現，臺灣南部鹽田單位的構築成本高於新竹鹽田，然其產量與產值亦數倍於後者；南部生產的鹽可以銷往外地，而新竹所生產的鹽則主要供當地及周邊的消費。製鹽設施投資低、技術較為簡單的淋鹵晒鹽技藝，就顯得更適合多樣化的地方經濟。

Following the 2016 amendment of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, intangible cultural assets were expanded to include traditional knowledge and practices. To date, four items have been registered: Oyster Harvesting by Oxcart in the Fangyuan Tidal Flats, Spear-fi shing for Sailfi sh in Xingang Taitung, and the Traditional Handprocessing of Tea in both Mingjian, and Lugu. This demonstrates the considerable potential for future registrations. 

The process of making salt has undergone diverse developments since 1660s. However, the earliest "brine-sprinkling and sun-drying" technique was replaced by the more efficient "brine-drying and sundrying" method in the major salt-producing areas of southern Taiwan. In contrast, the salt fields along the coast of Hsinchu continued this production technique for a century until its abolition in 1928. 

The digitization of the Taiwan Governor-General's Offi ce archives during the Japanese occupation and the publication of the Nozaki family's report on the salt industry in Taiwan have shed new light on the preservation of the brine-sprinkling and sun-drying salt production technique in the Hsinchu coastal salt fields during the late Qing and early Japanese occupation periods. Simultaneously, these surveys represent the first scientific documentation of the natural environment and human economy of salt fields in Taiwanese history. This constitutes the primary objective of this study. 

Secondly, this study investigates why the Hsinchu coastal salt fields maintained the less productive saltmaking technique for an extended period instead of adopting the more efficient brine-drying and sundrying method. It argues that the efficiency of a production technique cannot fully explain the adoption of new technologies; geographical factors significantly influence the decision to employ specific techniques. 

Finally, this research reveals that the construction cost per unit of salt field in southern Taiwan was higher than that in Hsinchu, but the former's production volume and value were several times greater than the latter's. Salt produced in the south could be sold elsewhere, while salt produced in Hsinchu primarily served local and surrounding consumption. The brine-sprinkling and sun-drying technique, with its lower investment in saltmaking facilities and simpler technology, proved more suitable for the diversified local economy.

無形文化資產;傳統知識與實踐;生產技藝;地方經濟;鹽業

Intangible Cultural Heritage; Traditional Knowledge and Practices; Production Skills; Local Economy; Salt Industry