10/12/2026
I have been reading online Salt Town (《盐镇》), a 2023 nonfiction book by Chinese journalist Yi Xiaohe (易小荷). The book focuses on Xianshi Ancient Town (仙市古镇), a historic salt-transport wharf in Zigong, Sichuan Province, southwestern China. The town's history is closely tied to the salt trade.
In 2021, Yi spent a year living in the town. She interviewed nearly a hundred residents and selected twelve women from different generations to tell their life stories. Through their experiences, she presents an unvarnished picture of ordinary women's lives and the hardships they face.
The women range from a seventeen-year-old who left school early and became involved in nightlife to economically independent women who are afraid to divorce, a matchmaker who experiences domestic violence, and a woman in her nineties who has been married four times and still runs a small business.
Their stories touch on many interconnected issues: marriage and divorce, domestic violence, poverty and economic dependence, limited educational opportunities, traditional attitudes toward women, and the social pressure to marry and remain married. They also reveal the gap between changes in laws and society and the realities of everyday life.
"婚姻和贫困成为套在女性脖子上的双重绞索," meaning: Marriage and poverty have become a double noose around women’s necks. Patriarchal expectations, domestic violence, social gossip, and limited opportunities make it difficult for them to take control of their own lives. Hard work alone may not be enough. They must also confront the power that husbands and male relatives exercise over them, as well as the social expectations that constrain their choices.
She says, "Today, in the 21st century, while we debate women's rights in Beijing and Shanghai, these women are still trapped in the same cycles of suffering that women endured in ancient times." This is one of the book's central observations: although China has changed enormously, traditional ideas about marriage, family, gender roles, and women's reputations remain deeply rooted in some small towns. There are more than 40,000 towns and townships in China.
The book does not portray these women merely as victims. They suffer, struggle, and sometimes find unexpected ways to survive. Their stories reveal both the weight of social constraints and the courage and resilience of the women living under them.
My overall impression is that life in a small town can be particularly harsh for women when customs and traditions leave them little room to make their own choices. Leaving for a big city may seem like the best way to gain independence, and escape the heavy oppression in the old town.
But when I discussed the book with a relative, she raised another consideration: the loneliness and alienation a person may experience when living alone in a big city. In one's hometown, even when family relationships are complicated, relatives and familiar neighbors may provide some practical help and emotional support. In a big city, people may enjoy greater freedom but have no one nearby to turn to when they need help.
This made me think that leaving home may not always be the best choice. A small town may offer a sense of belonging while restricting a woman's freedom. A big city may offer more freedom and opportunities while demanding that she build a new support network from scratch.
Perhaps what women need most is the freedom to choose how they want to live—without being trapped by poverty, unhappy marriages, or the fear of what others will say. Independence means having the freedom to leave, to stay, and the means to build a decent life either way.
