Salt and Iron Monopoly System

Timeline

1. 1040–1080Huai-Zhe and Sichuan-Shaanxi salt districts · Northern SongThe Northern Song managed the salt industry regionally through the salt certificate system and official sales; merchants paid for certificates to obtain salt, the government controlled production and transport, iron production was also supervised and restricted, and salt and iron profits became a major source of state annual revenue.
2. 1081–1085Kaifeng's Three Offices and the Monopoly Bureau · KaifengUnder Shenzong's Yuanfeng era, military expenditures were enormous; the Three Offices strengthened salt levy collection and certificate price management, strictly banned private smuggling, and salt and iron monopoly revenues provided crucial fiscal support for northwestern military campaigns.
3. 1086–1090Kaifeng · KaifengAfter the Yuanyou restoration, the old faction advocated relaxing and simplifying salt regulations and reducing levies to benefit merchants; the court adjusted salt prices and the certificate system in some circuits, but the basic institutional framework of the state salt and iron monopoly was maintained.