Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins

Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins

The Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Tang to Ming

Located in Tiekeng Village, Huzhe Town, Fenyi County, the Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins are the remains of an ancient iron smelting site with a history of over a thousand years. According to historical records, mining and iron smelting in the Phoenix Mountain area began as early as the late Tang Dynasty. The industry was highly developed during the Song Dynasty, and the government set up the "Guishan Iron Office" here as an official institution to manage iron production. By the Ming Dynasty, iron mining at Phoenix Mountain had reached its peak, producing one-fifth of the country's total iron output. For over a thousand years, from the late Tang to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the furnaces at this ancient iron mine never ceased operation. These ruins serve as evidence of Xinyu’s reputation as the "Steel City" and also bear witness to the development of China’s iron mining history.

The Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins stretch 500 meters from north to south and 300 meters from east to west, covering a total area of over 150,000 square meters. The thickness of the site ranges from 1.5 to 3 meters, with the thickest parts exceeding 4 meters. In addition to discovering remnants such as iron smelting furnaces and casting molds, the site has also yielded iron slag, iron sulfide, iron ore sand, iron powder, iron knives, as well as fragments of daily-use ceramics and broken bricks and tiles used in construction. Near the southeastern part of Tiekeng Village, dozens of ancient iron smelting furnaces and casting molds have been exposed due to villagers digging for limonite powder at the Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins and Chashanli. Among them, one smelting furnace and four casting molds are relatively well-preserved. To understand their basic structures, archaeologists excavated one smelting furnace and two casting molds at Chashanli.

A rich collection of cultural artifacts has been unearthed, including iron sulfide, iron slag, remnants of iron smelting furnaces and casting molds, pig iron blocks and castings, charcoal, inscribed bricks (with raised inscriptions on both sides: on the right, “Yuanzhou Prefecture Supervisor Sui Bin, Clerk Ren Jun, Fenyi County Supervisor Xing, Clerk Zhang Yongshao”; on the left, “Chief Chen Wenbin, Team Leader Liang Chaozuo, Assistant Zhang Hanju, Kiln Craftsman Yuan Shang, Brick Maker Zhang Hanju, Deng Zhao”), iron knives, iron spears, coins, and more. Except for a few sites that have been partially damaged due to soil extraction or road construction, the majority of the ruins remain largely intact.

Cultural experts believe that the Phoenix Mountain Iron Mine Ruins in Fenyi County, Xinyu City, hold significant scientific value for the study of ancient iron smelting techniques in China. The site features abundant relics, including iron ore, smelting furnaces, and casting molds, covering the entire technological process from raw material extraction and fuel selection to iron smelting and product extraction. It provides a complete picture of ancient iron smelting craftsmanship and stands as a testament to the evolution of China’s iron smelting history.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units