气势磅礴、浩瀚壮观的钱江大潮，其源头起步于杭州湾畔的滨海明珠——海盐。
　　“海滨广斥、盐田相望”，置县于秦的海盐由此而得名，两千多年的悠久历史赋予了这片沃土深厚而丰富的文化底蕴。
　　这里人文荟萃，古有小说家干宝、诗人顾况、戏曲家杨梓，近有现代出版巨擘张元济、“三毛之父”张乐平、史学家朱希祖，今有现代企业改革家步鑫生、革命文化名人黄源、先锋作家余华、油画家朱乃正、奥运健将曹棉英……
　　这里是“文化之邦”，南戏四大声腔之首“海盐腔”发源于此，古老的“滚灯”艺术在这里盛行，群众性文化活动更是风起云涌，农村文化阵地建设如火如茶……
　　这里人杰地灵，不仅名闻天下的钱江大潮从这里涌起，中国的现代企业改革帷幕也从这里拉开。中国第一座自己设计、建造、调试和运营的核电站在这里诞生，“钱江潮源”、“改革之源”、“核电之源”足以让这颗江南明珠无比自豪，特别是世界第一跨海大桥——杭州湾大桥的兴建，更使海盐成为沪、杭、苏、甬的交通节点和举世瞩目的投资热土。
　　近年来，海盐经济社会各项事业取得了长足发展，已连续3年跻身“全国百强县前50名”，跨入浙江省首批小康县行列，并相继获得全国文化先进县、全国体育先进县、全国科技工作先进县、省教育强县、省文明县城等称号，如今正向文化强县目标迈进。
　　
　　
　　亮出特色文化品牌
　　
　　2004年9月，海盐滚灯在全国第十三届“群星奖”广场民间舞蹈选拔赛上赢得专家和观众的一致好评，获得全国大赛入场券，同时又作为嘉兴民间文化唯一代表登上央视《同一首歌》舞台，参加了去年金鸡百花电影节的颁奖晚会和嘉兴江南文化节的开幕式。
　　一项几乎失传的古老艺术能获得这样的成功，这主要得益于海盐县现代文化建设有着清晰的思路：用先进文化建设文化强县，从历史文化和文明中寻找对接点。
　　1986年海盐县就开始对滚灯艺术进行创编，1997年又开始探索儿童滚灯舞蹈新路。2001年中国海盐滚灯艺术节的举行，更是开创了单一文艺品种省际交流的先例。通过不断的挖掘、整理和创编，目前全县已涌现出了数十支滚灯队伍，并频频走出县域省界表演，从而使这一有着700多年历史的文化遗产重新展现出迷人的神韵。
　　
　　海盐是明代南戏四大声腔之一“海盐腔”的故乡。2000年，海盐县首次召开全国“海盐腔”学术研讨会，使“海盐腔”的研究、整理、发展进入了一个新的阶段。与“海盐腔”有着渊源关系的“骚子书”原是一种具有地方特色的民间说唱艺术，20世纪70年代起，海盐就着手对它进行抢救性发掘、整理，先后采访了数十名“骚子书”艺人，收集原始手抄本120余册。随后，又推陈出新，创编出《南北湖风光美如画》等说唱节目，并在首届江浙沪毗邻地区田(山)歌演唱会等演出活动中亮相。浙江电视台专门拍摄了电视专题片《海盐骚子书》，《中国曲艺志·浙江卷》将其收录，填补了我国曲艺志的一项空白。
　　
　　夯实特色文化基础
　　
　　海盐县委、县政府始终认为，创建并巩固全国文化先进县是实践“三个代表”重要思想的具体行动，必须工作有“位置”，建设有“路子”，做到发展有规划、经费有保障，像抓经济建设一样抓文化建设。如今，一个较完善的城乡文化设施网络已在海盐显山露水。
　　具有江南园林特色的张元济图书馆是海盐县的标志性建筑之一，去年被评定为国家一级图书馆；黄源藏书楼则成了海盐县爱国主义教育基地；海盐还把占地18亩、建筑面积达7700平方米的原县府大院全部划拨给文化部门，扩建后的县博物馆建筑面积达到了2600平方米，县文化馆已跻身省特级文化馆行列，并建立了县文化艺术培训中心，占地面积2250平方米的海盐腔艺术馆目前已完成土建工程，特别是绮园文化区的规划实施，将使海盐大剧院、会展中心、新博物馆、绮园文化广场等文化设施拔地而起，加之工人文化宫、青少年活动中心、三毛乐园、张乐平纪念馆等一批社会文化设施相继建成，这些文化设施将成为海盐市民新的文化休闲佳处。
　　与此同时，海盐还从实施“东海文化明珠工程”入手，加大投入建设乡镇文化设施力度，新建文化活动阵地总面积达7900余平方米，建成图书馆8个，藏书总量10万余册，先后有2个乡镇被命名为省级“东海文化明珠乡(镇)”，有4个乡镇被命名为市级“东海文化明珠乡(镇)”，各乡镇都有5-6支业余文艺团队常年活跃在农村基层。
　　
　　扎实的特色文化基础，带来了文艺创作的繁荣。近几年，海盐县继余华成长为全国著名作家后，先后有3000余件文艺作品在全国、省、市发表、展演，先后有一大批作品获奖，其中舞蹈音乐《南湖菱娃娃》获文化部第六届“群星奖”银奖，版画《七彩路》入选第八届全国美展，摄影作品《核电之光》入选全国第十届摄影展，电视片《盲童朱徐娜》还获得了国务院新闻办、国家广电总局最高奖“金桥奖”，舞蹈《滚灯》获省第五届音舞节金奖等，海盐文艺创作迎来了一个百花齐放的春天。
　　
　　深化特色文化内涵
　　
　　每逢节假日，海盐的各个文化广场上总是人头攒动，热闹非凡，嘹亮的歌声、优美的舞蹈营造出了具有浓郁地方特色的文化氛围。
　　大力开展多种形式的社区及广场文艺活动是海盐建设先进文化的一大特色，目前全镇13个社区全部建起了文艺活动队伍和图书阅览室，纷纷组建了滚灯队、腰鼓队、秧歌队、戏曲队等各种文艺队伍50多支，每年定期举办社区文艺汇演，仅在2005年“文化体育进社区”活动中，就演出达62场，被选送的2个社区节目获得市级金奖。
　　文化与旅游“联姻”是海盐的一大创新。近几年，县里每年都举办南北湖观光旅游节，通过地方民俗表演和灯展、风情摄影展等途径，不仅吸引了大批外地游客，也将海盐的文化走向全国。与此同时，不断挖掘、开发名人文化，更提高了海盐特色文化品牌的影响力。载青别墅修缮后每年接待多批韩国人士，陈云题名的“张元济图书馆”、巴金题名的“三毛乐园”和收藏了1000多件工艺美术品的“泥香室”，更成了县域旅游景点的重点补充、弘扬海盐历史文化的重要“名片”。
　　
　　
　　Haiyan County Builds a Strong Cultural Dimension
　　
　　By News Report Panel of the CPC Haiyan County Committee
　　For different people, Haiyan means different things.
　　In the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), Haiyan meant sea salt and the court set up a county government there to manage the local salt-making industry. Haiyan literally means sea salt. The name of the county still carries the ancient economic glory.
　　For people interested in the county’s history or literature, Haiyan means hometown to many celebrated names: ancient novelist Gan Bao, poet Gu Kuang, dramatist Yang Zi, modern publishing tycoon Zhang Yuanji, cartoonist Zhang Leping, historian Zhu Xizu, entrepreneur Bu Xinsheng, avant-garde writer Yu Hua, oil painter Zhu Naizheng, Olympic champion Cao Mianying, to name just a few.
　　
　　For those attracted by the county’s cultural past, Haiyan is where Haiyan Tune originated in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was one of the four major popular entertaining forms which combined to contribute to the birth of Southern Opera. Haiyan also stands for the Rolling Lanterns, an ancient popular entertainment that took place on occasions of festivities. It still enjoys great popularity today.
　　For tourists, Haiyan is where the amazing Qiantang River Bore forms in August of the Chinese lunar calendar. The incoming tides from the sea begin to surge and make spectacular waves in Haiyan on their way inland.
　　For those in the know about China’s economic resurgence in the last 20 some years, Haiyan is where China’s first ever nuclear power station radiates its mega energy to the prosperous Yangtze River Delta. Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which is the world’s longest cross-sea bridge now under construction, will turn Haiyan into a key intersection that links Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, and Ningbo.
　　For the Haiyan county government and the CPC Haiyan county committee, Haiyan should mean, among other things, a modernized booming economy with a strong cultural dimension based on its rich historical heritage.
　　
　　In 1986, the county government put upon its agenda a task to revive and reproduce the Rolling Lanterns. The effort has been successful. In 2001, Haiyan hosted its first Rolling Lanterns Festival. In September 2004, the lantern performance from Haiyan scored a big success at a national folk dance event. The rolling lanterns later appeared on CCTV and at the Golden Rooster & the One Hundred Flowers Awards Ceremony, which is China’s equivalent to the American Oscar Awards Ceremony.
　　Another big issue on the county government’s cultural agenda is the revival of Haiyan Tune. In 2000, the county sponsored an academic symposium on Haiyan Tune, attended by scholars from all over the country. Saozishu, a genre of popular story-telling entertainment consisting of singing and talking, can date back to the first days of Haiyan Tune. The rescue program for the art started in the 1970s. Dozens of veteran performers were involved and more than 120 handwritten scripts were saved. New scripts have been created. Zhejiang TV has produced a documentary on the art.
　　
　　The garden-styled Zhang Yuanji Library, a landmark building in the county, was designated as the National First-Grade Library in 2005. Huang Yuan Library is a site of Patriotism Education. The county government compound has been handed over to the county’s cultural agency. The county museum has undergone an expansion program. The county’s culture center has been designated as the province’s A 1 culture center. Eight new libraries have been built across the county.
　　Local artists are very active and are making themselves nationally known by winning various prestigious honors. One dance won a Stars Award from the Ministry of Culture. A woodcut painting named Rainbow-Colored Road was selected for the 8th National Fine Arts Exhibition. A photograph that depicts the nuclear station in Haiyan was selected for the 10th National Photography Exhibition. A TV documentary named Zhu Xuna, a Blind Girl, won the Golden Bridge Award from the Information Office of the State Council and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Rolling Lanterns was awarded the Gold Prize at the 5th Zhejiang Music and Dance Festival.
　　A tour to the cultural sites in the county attracts a lot of sightseers. Each year, the county holds a folk art festival at the South-North Lake. Some of its historic buildings have become name cards for the county.