Jiangtong Technology Industry Tour

Jiangtong Technology Industry Tour

Jiangxi Copper Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Jiangtong) is China’s largest and most modernized copper production base, and also a key supplier of sulfur-based chemical materials and rare precious metals such as gold and silver in the country. With an annual output of 400,000 tons of cathode copper, 1 million tons of sulfuric acid, 10 tons of gold, and 200 tons of silver, it ranks 98th among the top 1,000 largest industrial enterprises in China and is among the top ten copper companies in the world. In 2003, Jiangtong achieved annual sales revenue of 10.6 billion yuan, becoming the first copper enterprise in Jiangxi Province and across China to surpass 10 billion yuan in revenue.

Copper, along with tungsten, uranium, niobium-tantalum, and rare earths, is hailed as one of the “Five Golden Flowers.” As early as 1066 BC during the Shang Dynasty, China had already reached a high level of bronze smelting technology. Starting from the Taishi era of the Western Jin Dynasty, the northeastern region of Jiangxi has been a copper and gold mining base throughout successive dynasties, flourishing particularly during the Tang and Song Dynasties. The origin of hydrometallurgy—the "billet copper method"—emerged in this area. From the unification of China by Emperor Qin Shi Huang until the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, copper was used for minting currency, circulating for over 2,100 years. Before the invention of glass mirrors, nobility used copper mirrors, and copper utensils have been in use to this day. Copper is closely linked with industrial and agricultural production and is intricately connected with our daily lives. Due to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, strong corrosion and wear resistance, as well as favorable workability, castability, weldability, and ease of cutting, it serves as a vital industrial material and strategic resource. Copper forms biologically active compounds with organic substances in living organisms, becoming various enzymes and proteins that are important nutrients for human health, as well as for the growth of animals and plants. It offers benefits such as beautification and antibacterial properties. Using copper water supply systems ensures hygienic drinking water, and copper is used for door handles, faucets, and more in hospitals and public spaces. Copper-made items help prevent the spread of diseases.

Speaking of “copper,” there is also a beautiful legend: It is said that in ancient chaotic times, a green-clothed fairy suddenly developed worldly feelings and instantly transformed into a peacock, gracefully descending to the human world where she fell in love with a metalworker. The Jade Emperor, enraged, ordered heavenly soldiers to turn the fairy into stone and bury her beneath the Five Great Mountains. But this could not stop the craftsman’s love for the fairy. He dug at the mountain every day, but all he unearthed was a shimmering green stone. To commemorate the green-clothed fairy who dared to break free from divine chains, people named this green stone “malachite.” Later, the craftsman tearfully placed the malachite into the furnace, and under the blazing flames, a crimson “blood”—metallic copper—flowed out from the furnace mouth. Of course, this is just a myth. Many of you may have read the book “How the Steel Was Tempered,” which embodies a steely will and indomitable spirit. So how did the hardworking, kind, and simple people of Jiangtong forge the “copper culture” and “copper spirit”? The answer can be found at the Guixi Smelter of Jiangtong Group—the largest and most technologically advanced flash smelting copper plant in China, equipped with world-class technology and management standards. Here, you can not only witness the copper production process with your own eyes, but you can also hold a gold bar in your arms (weighing 12.5 kilograms, with a gold purity of 99.997%, and valued at 1.5 million yuan at current prices).