At Zhongba, archaeological features such as pits, workshop floors, and kilns provide direct evidence of the spatial aspect of production at the site. By analyzing the spatial organization of production areas, we can observe the physical constraints placed on social interaction among producers as well as how the organization of space in activity areas changes over time and, in so doing, examine the strength of the spatial habitus that was both constitutive of and constituted by past social action. The degree to which features associated with production across the site share a rigid organization reflects the degree to which space at the site was managed and controlled by a segment of the population. Changes (or lack of changes) in this organization relate to the reconstitution or perpetuation of this organizing force.

In this chapter, I describe the various types of archaeological features discovered in the main activity area on the Zhongba mound. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the structured environment within which salt production and other related activities took place. I will discuss pits, kilns, workshop floors, and enigmatic features such as holes and gullies. In each case, I explore the possible functions of these various features and discuss some aspects of their spatial organization. We observe that starting in Phase II and continuing throughout Phase III, a remarkably consistent organization of space was observed in the Zhongba production area. The layout of this area and the consistency of its organization indicate strong traditions in the long-term development of salt production at Zhongba and also suggest some degree of centralized community oversight.