Every aspect of the salt trade required official sanction and the issue of permits. As an illustration, let us consider the marketing of a consignment of salt from the Huai-nan salines to an up-river port such as Hankow or Ta-t'ung. The yard merchant (ch'ang-shang) at the salines had to report his output of salt daily to the salt receiver (ch'ang-kuan), and could carry salt for sale to Shih-erh-wei only on the requisition of the Huai-nan general office (Huai-nan tsung-chü) at Yangchow, transmitted through the salt receiver; when he received this, the had to apply back to Yangchow for a transport permit (ch'ung-yen chih-chao) and to his local branch office (fen-ssu) for a cargo certificate (ts'ang-tan).