Workers collect salt at a salt pan in Gaotai county, Zhangye, Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/xgs.newgscloud.com]

On Aug 1, the Gaotai county in Zhangye, Gansu province entered the season of collecting raw salt. Workers are busy shoveling up the raw salt from the lake salt pond which is prepared to evaporate in the sun.

Gaotai is a famous lake salt warehouse in China. The total area of the salt lake is 12.77 square kilometers, and the proven raw salt storage capacity is 11.68 million tons.

Gaotai has been rich in lake salt since the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). It has a history of more than 2,000 years.