The sea breeze gently brushes across the vast salt fields of Guanxi Salt Farm in Lianyungang, where salt crystals shimmer with traces of ancient Han Dynasty sea salt production; the ancient Grand Canal flows leisurely through Yangzhou, its rippling waters seemingly echoing the vigorous chants of salt transport boats from bygone days. On August 31st, the highly anticipated 10th round of the "Jiangsu Super League" will unfold with passion as Lianyungang hosts Yangzhou in a pinnacle showdown. This match is not only a thrilling football spectacle but also another heartfelt dialogue between two cities closely connected by "Huai salt" in the new era.

**One Furnace, One Boat: Salt Routes Weaving Thousand-Year Production Networks**

"Lianyungang boils the sea for salt, Yangzhou distributes it nationwide" - this millennium-old saying perfectly captures the relationship between these two cities. Standing beside the Han Dynasty salt furnace ruins in Haizhou District, Lianyungang, archaeologists have uncovered helmet-shaped pottery from 2,100 years ago with salt crystals still glimmering on the inner walls; hundreds of kilometers away on Yangzhou's Dongguan Street, wax seals on Tang Dynasty salt bags remain intact - these two artifacts span time and space, forming the earliest "production-sales dialogue" of Huai salt culture.

Lianyungang has long been the "white granary" of Huai salt. During the Ming Dynasty, Banpu Salt Farm produced 400,000 shi of salt annually, accounting for nearly half of the total production in the northern Huai salt region. In 1933, Houzui Salt Depot's storage exceeded 75,000 tons, with white salt crystals reaching the Central Plains via the Longhai Railway. On these salt beaches, pottery shards embedded in soil layers once held the earliest sea salt crystals of Chinese civilization; in the shimmering waters of salt rivers, shadows of Ming and Qing salt boats are faintly visible, while 3,000-year-old salt-making furnace pits have deeply rooted the "salt heritage" here.

Yangzhou served as the "waterway gateway" for this "snow-white" commodity to reach the nation. The ancient Grand Canal flows through the city like a green silk ribbon connecting waterways. Salt from Lianyungang arrived by canal boats, creating spectacular scenes at docks where "salt boats passed through locks continuously for three days," flowing into densely packed salt warehouses. According to the Qing Dynasty "Records of Two Huai Salt Laws," Yangzhou annually transported 140 million jin of Huai salt, accounting for one-third of national production, with nearly half originating from Lianyungang's coastal areas. When Yangzhou salt merchants counted silver coins in their mansions, the jingling sounds carried both the flavor of frost salt from Lianyungang beaches and the rhythmic splashing of ancient canal paddles.

Salt taxes bound the destinies of both cities together. During Ming and Qing periods, two Huai salt taxes accounted for one-quarter of imperial fiscal revenue. The "furnace taxes" paid by Lianyungang salt workers and "merchant taxes" paid by Yangzhou salt traders were like two sides of a coin, jointly creating the legend of "Two Huai salt tribute leading the nation." Today's collaborative running of players on the field mirrors the relay of ancient salt workers boiling seas and merchants transporting salt, continuing this millennium-old understanding.

**One Culture, One Flavor: Salt Essence Infusing Urban Cultural Souls**

Huai salt has transcended its nature as a "seasoning" to become "sweet dew" nourishing local cultures. At Lianyungang's Huaguo Mountain, Wu Cheng'en's vivid scenes of "seaside salt harvesting" blend the simple labor of salt workers into the fantastical imagination of "Journey to the West." In Yangzhou's Ge Garden, salt merchant Huang Zhijun's "Four Seasons Rockery" built with salt water demonstrates exquisite craftsmanship, perfectly combining salt's "resilience" with garden "elegance" - strength and softness both representing poetic life refinement.

Literary masterpieces contain deep "salt connections" between the two cities. The luxurious scenes of "Yuan Fei's provincial visit" in "Dream of the Red Chamber" reveal the background of Cao Xueqin's grandfather Cao Yin - this Two Huai Salt Inspector supervised both Lianyungang salt field production and resided at Yangzhou's Salt Transport Office, with the prosperity of both cities' salt industries providing rich life material for this classic. The heroic spirit in "Water Margin" originated from Shi Nai'an witnessing salt worker uprisings at Baiju Salt Farm (now in Dafeng District, Yancheng), echoing the "chivalry" plaques carved in Yangzhou salt merchant gardens, outlining the era's spiritual landscape.

In artistic fields, the "same source, different streams" of Haizhou's Five Palace Tunes and Yangzhou's Clear Melodies crystallized from salt transport culture. Lianyungang's Haizhou Five Palace Tunes feature clear and melodious tunes, often drawing from "salt drying" and "salt carrying" labor scenes, filled with mountain and sea atmosphere. Yangzhou Clear Melodies are delicate and gentle, excelling at depicting the sorrows and farewells of canal merchants and travelers. During Ming and Qing periods, canal boat artists shuttled between the two cities along salt transport waterways, enabling artistic exchange that ultimately formed unique styles of "sharing Jianghuai rhymes, each with salt field emotions."

Cuisine serves as the honest messenger of both cities' "salt connections." Lianyungang salt fields' sea salt blanching techniques maximize ingredient flavors - local specialty bean bugs become more fragrant with sea salt seasoning. Yangzhou's Wensi Tofu showcases exquisite knife work, with a pinch of Huai salt enhancing freshness and aroma. Today, chefs from both cities have jointly developed "Sea Salt Lion's Head," combining Yellow Sea salt's freshness with Yangzhou Lion's Head's richness, creating a "salt symphony" on the palate. When crab powder lion's head meets cold octopus, when thousand-layer oil cake layers atop seaweed pancakes, the meeting of fresh and salty represents gentle cultural collision between the two cities.

**One Match, One City: Thousand-Year Salt Heritage Writing New Chapters**

When the "Jiangsu Super League" whistle sounds at Lianyungang's home stadium, this match transcends "sports competition" to become a new opportunity for both cities to activate millennium salt heritage and promote coordinated development.

Today's Lianyungang Huai Salt Culture Museum uses holographic technology to recreate "eight-trigram salt fields," allowing visitors to seemingly travel back to ancient salt farms. Yangzhou's China Grand Canal Museum employs digital twin technology to reproduce the spectacle of "salt boats passing locks." More remarkably, the jointly created "Huai Salt Digital Archive" has collected 436 Ming and Qing salt administration documents, detailing management changes and production processes in northern Jiangsu salt regions, preserving precious primary materials for Huai salt culture research.

In industrial integration, cooperation between the cities becomes more vibrant. Lianyungang's health and beauty salts combine with Yangzhou's lacquerware and paper-cutting intangible heritage techniques to create "Salt Rhyme Cultural Gift Boxes," becoming sought-after souvenirs. The cross-regional study tour route "From Salt Beaches to Salt Merchants" connects Lianyungang's Banpu Ancient Town with Yangzhou's Ge Garden, bringing more people into "Huai Salt Stories."

On the field, Lianyungang team's robust style resembles Yellow Sea salt beaches' resilience; Yangzhou team's flexible tactics mirror ancient canal waters' fluidity. When player silhouettes cross the grass, they resemble ancient salt boat fleets traveling thousands of miles like starlight; spectator voices surge like tides, echoing mountain and sea responses across millennia. This stadium is no longer a "barrier" but a "bridge" - like ancient salt transport waterways connecting Lianyungang, the "eastern bridgehead of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge," with Yangzhou, the "city where Yangtze River meets Grand Canal," achieving mutual success once again.

When the final whistle blows, scores no longer matter. From Han Dynasty salt furnace flames to "Jiangsu Super League" stadium lights, from canal boat paddle sounds to football field cheers, Lianyungang and Yangzhou use sports as a medium to revitalize thousand-year salt essence in the new era. Salt crystallizes, boats break waves. Following "Jiangsu Super League" to read cities means reading not just a match, but two cities' cross-temporal mutual understanding and companionship. In the future, this "Lian-Yang Symphony" will resonate with more exciting chapters across various fields.