Yunhe Silver Mine Ruins

Yunhe Silver Mine Ruins

The Yunhe Silver Mine Ruins are a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Ming

The Yunhe Silver Mine Ruins, located in Yunhe County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, were mined during the Ming Dynasty. They feature a long history, large scale, and profound influence. The county has a wide distribution of mine-related ruins and historical sites, with a comprehensive range of cultural relics. Major sites include the Huangjia She Ming Dynasty silver pit cave cluster, the Huangjia She ancient ore transport path, the Huangjia She "Silver Office Bureau" from the Tianshun Second Year, the Huangjia She smelting site, the Madun Village Dapengji smelting site, the tomb of Yang Guangsan — a Ming Dynasty mining supervisor, cliff inscriptions by miners at Huilong Mountain, and the ruins of mountain strongholds where miners staged uprisings. Together, they form a relatively complete and systematic network of Ming Dynasty silver smelting cultural relics and historical sites. These comprehensively reflect various aspects such as mining, ore transport, smelting, mining administration, and the lives of mining supervisors and workers. They hold significant academic value for studying and understanding the once-flourishing silver mining industry and technological history of the Ming Dynasty. In January 2011, the Yunhe Silver Mine Ruins were announced as part of the Sixth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province. In May 2013, they were designated as part of the Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units