The well salt industry in Zigong area began in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was famous throughout Sichuan in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Historical records call this place "Bird's Nest Raorun", "Taiwai County", "Business Travel Gathering Place" and "Mi Chong, the state capital". Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the rise of artesian wells, Zigong salt industry has gradually reached its peak. Ganlongshi has become one of the five central producing areas in Sichuan, and Jiadaoshi has become one of the three central producing areas in Sichuan. During the reign of Xianfeng Tongzhi, it became the production place of Sichuan well salt center and held the leading position of Sichuan salt industry. The annual output of salt is more than 3 million tons, which is sold to more than 200 counties in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei, and is used by one tenth of the population in China. Known as the salt capital, it is famous at home and abroad. It has become a "land of the essence of Sichuan Province". With the prosperity of economy, population and culture, Sichuan Opera, Lantern Festival and catering here have gradually become the first good areas in southern Sichuan and even Sichuan.

The prosperity of well salt industry in Zigong Salt Field in the middle of Qing Dynasty not only attracted investors and operators from Shanxi, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan and other provinces to set up well stove banks here, but also directly or indirectly attracted workers from surrounding areas and Guizhou and Yunnan to work here. At that time, there were about 200,000 salt merchants and salt workers gathered in Du Yan all the year round, which were called various gangs according to different social divisions. Salt merchants include well gangs, stove gangs, rice gangs, money gangs and bamboo, wood, oil and hemp gangs; Salt workers include masons, well-diggers, roller gang, salt-burning gang, slaughter gang, water-lifting gang and boating gang. Baili saltworks, bustling streets, countless restaurants and numerous conference halls. Different levels of food consumption and hobbies, and the blending of different regional food cultures have gradually formed Zigong's unique salt-help dishes.

In the course of more than 200 years' development, generations of famous chefs and culinary masters have emerged in Zigong salt dishes. The "Qiongpu Recipe" written by Li Qiongpu, a salt merchant in the late Qing Dynasty, recorded the cooking tips of various salt dishes, but it has been lost. A crispy duck cooked by Dong, the famous chef of the Geneva International Conference, knocked down movie master Chaplin; In the middle of last century, Master Chen Jianmin introduced salt-assisted dishes into Japanese upper class. Liu Xilu's tofu has become a delicacy that appeals to both refined and popular tastes in Japan. Zeng, who invented fireside beef, cooked the beef to the extreme safety, Lin Qingyun, who pioneered the leaf palm board of cow's hoof, bear's paw, Li, who is famous for cooking fish without sauce, Liu, who is good at shark's fin and sea cucumber banquet, Liu, who is famous for eating rabbit, and Huang Sanpang, who was surprised by a song "Eat Up" and merged into Sichuan Hotel, are all salted dishes. After the founding of New China, Fan Dechong, Ni, and Zou Qingyun, known as the "Four donkey kong", made important contributions to the inheritance and development of salt dishes.

In its evolution and development, Zigong catering and salt-help dishes have gradually formed a number of famous shops that make listeners drool and eat. Such as Tiandeyuan, Lumingchun, Jinguyuan, Kuaiyuan, Haoyuan, Yiyuan, Diaohuanglou, Wharf, Liu Fen Restaurant, Jiang Chun, Wenxingyuan, Xinjin Food Club and Minjiang Hotel. Over time, it has formed a long-established brand. Since the reform and opening up, Zigong catering industry has made great progress. Famous shops with salted vegetables as the main connotation have not only been passed down from generation to generation, but also a number of new famous shops have emerged. "Jin Fu Salted Vegetables" is very famous in Beijing. In Chengdu, a leisure city, Chengdu people who can eat energetic products also appreciate Zigong's dishes such as "Yanfu Family", "Shu Jiang Chun" and "Axi". In Zigong, Salt Merchants' Cuisine, Private Cuisine, Du Yan Guild Hall Cuisine, Southern State Banquet, Southern Sichuan Banquet, Sichuan Jiang Chun, Axi, Liu Fen Restaurant and descendants of salt gangs are all well received by consumers, and their business is booming day by day.