Zhaobishan Copper Mine Site

Zhaobishan Copper Mine Site

The Zhaobishan Copper Mine Site is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Zhaobishan Copper Mine Site is located among the peaks of Zhaobishan Mountain, north of Zhiluo Town in Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. According to research, this site is the oldest copper mine in northwestern China.

The ancient copper mines on Zhaobishan may have been exploited as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with large-scale mining and smelting operations already established during the Western Han Dynasty. Mining and smelting continued during the Western Xia and Yuan Dynasties, which is extremely rare in northwestern China. This provides valuable physical evidence for further study of the emergence and development of the “Bronze Civilization” in the region.

The site consists of three parts: ancient mine shafts, residential ruins, and smelting ruins. Within an area of approximately one square kilometer, there are 27 ancient copper mines. Some mine shafts have been damaged by later artificial mining, and most entrances have been sealed by debris from mountain floods. A large amount of copper slag is found near the entrances. Preliminary surveys indicate that the mine entrances include vertical shafts, inclined slopes, and parallel tunnel types. On the surface of the site, in addition to fragments of Han Dynasty pottery and Song-Yuan Dynasty porcelain, artifacts such as white-glazed slant-rim bowls, ceramic lamps, Han Dynasty Boshan pottery stoves, coins, and other pottery items have also been unearthed inside the mines. Discovered in 1987, this ancient copper mine site holds significant historical value for the study of ancient copper mines in China.

In May 2006, the Zhaobishan Copper Mine Site was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

(Editor: Xiaobai)

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level