The Ministry of Revenue was the most senior management
department in this administrative system. It set up the Lianghuai
Salt Transportation Department, which was responsible for the
management of all Jiangsu saltworks, and included three branches,
i.e., the Haizhou, Taizhou and Tongzhou Branches, which were
respectively responsible for the northern, central and southern
saltworks of the Jiangsu coast (Fig. 3). Meanwhile, each of the three
branches was associated with a number of saltworks, and each of
the saltworks was allocated with a Salt Levy Division, which was
responsible for taxing and other management duties. For instance,
in the Qing Dynasty, the Haizhou Branch had three Salt Levy Divisions,
the Taizhou Branch had 11, and the Tongzhou Branch had 9
(Fig. 3). Each of the Salt Levy Divisions was in charge of one saltworks
unit which included a number of the basic production units,
i.e., Tingchangs. Moreover, the administrative system or organization
strictly controlled by government for coastal salt industry was
to a large extent independent of the surrounding local, or county
level governments. It was also independent from other administrative
systems of the state, representing a superb control network
to monopolize the coastal resources to intervene coastal social
economic activities. Therefore, in this special administrative system,
from the Ministry of Revenue to each Salt levy Divisions; the
central government could tightly control the coastal activities and
the use of the land. Apparently, the stability of salt production and
salt tax income were the core content of administrative system,
which reflected the uniqueness of the Jiangsu coastal management.