Site of the Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine

Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine Site

The Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine Site is located in Tangli Village, Wufu Mountain Town, Shangrao County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province. The area features steep mountainous terrain, dense vegetation, and abundant water flow from the Guliang River. It is a silver and lead mining and smelting site dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties in the northern foothills of the Wuyi Mountains in northeastern Jiangxi.

The Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine Site is located on the eastern side of the mountain range known locally as “Upper and Lower Lizi Pits,” to the north of Tangli Village. It spans an area of approximately 1.5 square kilometers and consists of three main parts: Tang and Song dynasty lead and silver mining areas, smelting remains, and residential ruins. Representative relics include 16 lead mining tunnels from the Tang dynasty, 24 silver mining tunnels from the Song dynasty, two slag accumulation sites, and two residential ruin sites. A large quantity of lead and silver smelting slag and nearly a hundred fragments of pottery items such as pots, jars, and bowls used during the Tang and Song periods have been unearthed.

The Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine Site is China’s first mining site where two precious metals—lead and silver—were extracted successively. It employed the “fire-setting method” for underground mining and utilized supporting mining technologies such as ventilation, hoisting, transportation, and drainage. Notably, it adopted the advanced “cupellation” method for silver smelting. Its silver smelting technology holds an important historical position in the development of China’s mining and metallurgical science and technology. It made historic contributions to the flourishing civilizations of the Tang and Song dynasties and possesses significant historical, scientific, and social value.

In 2019, the Wufu Mountain Silver-Lead Mine Site was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Address: Lizi Pit, Tangli Village, Wufu Mountain Town, Guangxin District, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province

Opening Information: Open to the public

Tangli Village: Tangli Village…… More details about Tangli Village++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units