Hunan Silver Mine Ruins

Hunan Silver Mine Ruins

The Hunan Silver Mine Ruins are located on the mountainside opposite Xiangjia Village in Hunan Village, Hunan Town, Qujiang District. According to the "Jiaqing Imperial Gazetteer," it states: "The Nanshan silver mine, which produced silver ore, was closed in the fourth year of the Tang Yuanhe era (809 AD), reopened during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period under the Qian family of Wuyue, and then closed again." Nanshan refers to present-day Hunan Town in Qujiang District, Quzhou City. The site was announced as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit in January 2011.

The Hunan Silver Mine Ruins were mined during the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with periods of both operation and prohibition, covering an area of approximately 4 million square meters.

The Hunan Silver Mine Ruins are among the earlier silver mining sites in the province. Among them, Cave No. 1 has an entrance of about 2 meters, an interior height of around 3 meters, and extends about 12 meters to the southeast. Cave No. 2 is about 40 meters deep, with approximately 4–6 smaller chambers inside. The discovery of this silver mine site and the adjacent silver smelting site holds significant historical and archaeological value for studying the development of silver mining and smelting technology in China.

Most of the shafts at the Hunan Silver Mine Ruins were mined horizontally, with only a few being vertical. Some entrances are just wide enough for one person, while others could accommodate dozens working simultaneously. Depths range from tens of meters to several kilometers. There are hundreds of mine shafts, interconnected in complex patterns, most of which remain well-preserved. At the time, silver ore was almost always transported nearby to Xiangjia Village in Hunan Village, Hunan Town, for smelting. A former silver smelting site still exists in Xiangjia, covering an area of about 3,000 square meters. An ancient mountain trail once led to the mountaintop, serving as a route for transporting ore and for villagers from Lingyang Township to travel. However, with the construction of the Hunan Town Reservoir Dam and the subsequent building of a mountain road leading to the summit, this trail gradually fell into disuse, becoming rarely visited. Most of the mine shafts on the mountain are now overgrown with weeds and shrubs, making them difficult for outsiders to find.

Hunan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Qu County. Established as a township in 1950, Xikou Township was merged into it in 1956, later becoming a commune. It was re-established as a township in 1984, upgraded to a town in 1986, and Xibukou Township was incorporated in 1992. Located in the southern part of the county on the west bank of the Wu Stream, it covers an area of 136 square kilometers with a population of 13,000. County roads and waterways pass through the area. The town administers 17 village committees: Hunan, Chaoshu, Zhoulong, Dongcang, Shanjian’ao, Licun, Poshi, Gengtou, Jinjiashan, Baojiashan, Huajia, Bawukou, Yanjiashan, Shanglv, Jiaolong, Yuandunhou, and Dongcangzhong. Local enterprises are mainly engaged in trade, steel, and electrical appliances, while agriculture focuses on… More details about Hunan Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units