Former Site of the Tanqi Ironworks

Former Site of the Tanqi Ironworks

The former site of the Tanqi Ironworks is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The former site of the Tanqi Ironworks originally covered an area of about 3,000 square meters, with the remaining structures now occupying approximately 78 square meters. The original complex consisted of two iron furnaces, two chimneys, a diesel engine power room, and a hot-blast room. During the construction of the Tanqi Village Primary School in the 1960s, one large chimney at the southern end and one iron furnace were demolished.

The diesel engine power room is located on the north side and spans two bays in width. Its roof is covered with small blue tiles and features a flush-gable roof, using square fir rafters in a mixed brick-and-wood structure. The foundation is built with block stones, and the indoor floor is compacted yellow earth. In the front and rear eaves, brick walls have brick piers in the middle supporting wooden trusses. The trusses use inclined beams to hold nine rafters, with side walls providing load-bearing support, and the trusses extend outward to support the eave purlins.

The hot-blast room is located south of the diesel engine power room. It was originally a single-room vaulted building facing north-south, but its roof was later destroyed and replaced with a truss structure. It is now a mixed brick-and-wood structure with a flush-gable roof. The current roof consists of triangular wooden trusses holding five small purlins. The foundation is built with block stones, and the indoor floor is compacted yellow earth.

The chimney is located west of the hot-blast room, with pipes laid on the ground surface between them. The exterior of the pipes is protected by brickwork. The chimney has a circular plan, constructed with flat blue bricks forming a cylindrical shape that tapers gradually from bottom to top, with the top slightly flared outward. It stands 17 meters tall with walls about 0.80 meters thick. It was used to vent exhaust gases from the hot-blast room.

The iron furnace is located east of the hot-blast room. It has a circular plan and is constructed as a cylindrical shape with flat blue bricks, running vertically through the entire structure, standing 5.99 meters tall. The elevation is divided into upper and lower sections; the lower part has six openings designed as arched doorways. The eastern opening was originally the iron melt outlet, with traces of iron slag remaining. Outside the furnace, square molds were once placed to collect the molten iron. The upper part of the cylinder tapers slightly from bottom to top. The outer wall of the furnace has six protrusions made of bricks, which were used to support standing platforms. During production, workers would stand on these platforms to add ore, coke, and other materials, along with four square ventilation holes.

It was designated as the sixth batch of county-level cultural relic protection units in Wencheng County in January 2009. On January 7, 2011, it was announced as part of the sixth batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Shanxi Town: Located in the southwest of Wencheng County, Shanxi Town is the site of the national key project — the Shanxi Water Control Hub. In 1998, it was listed as one of the pilot towns for comprehensive reform in small towns in Zhejiang Province and ranks among the 136 key towns in the province. After the completion of the Shanxi Water Control Hub, it formed China’s second-highest dam and the largest artificial lake in southern Zhejiang, making it a central tourism town in southern Wenzhou. The town has a population of 41,000 and covers an area of 102.5 square kilometers. With a long revolutionary history, abundant hydroelectric resources, tourism resources, and mineral resources, it is a typical resource-strong and revolutionary base town in Wencheng County.

…… More details about Shanxi Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units