Yangjiaoling Tianchi Tourist Area

　　Yangjiaoling Tianchi is located at the summit of Yangjiaoling, about 4 kilometers south of Tuncheng County. Yangjiaoling stands over 200 meters above sea level and is the site of China’s largest and richest quartz crystal deposit, as well as one of the world’s largest super-large crystal deposits.

　　The Yangjiaoling Crystal Mine is also known as the 701 Mine. The deposit type is skarn-hosted quartz vein, with the main ore body measuring 240 meters in length, 90–130 meters in width, and extending 150 meters deep. Around the main ore body, there are more than ten small skarn gold deposits and extensive alluvial deposits. The raw Yangjiaoling crystals are renowned for their high transparency and pure quality.

　　The Yangjiaoling Crystal Mine was first mined by the Japanese during World War II, who carried out exploitative extraction in the area. From 1955 onward, after comprehensive exploration by the state, formal mining operations commenced, making it China’s earliest natural crystal mine. By the mid-1970s, the main ore bodies had been largely exhausted. The giant Yangjiaoling crystal deposit gained worldwide fame for its large scale, high grade, and superior quality, making significant contributions to China’s cutting-edge military industry and foreign debt repayment.

　　Crystal is a transparent form of quartz, typically forming six-sided prisms. It is very hard, pure, flawless, and elegant. Crystals have multiple uses. Chemically inert and non-toxic, crystal has medicinal properties that can treat palpitations and excessive heart heat, while also offering benefits such as calming the mind, improving vision, reducing eye fatigue, soothing inflamed swellings, relieving coughs and wheezing, nourishing hair, invigorating the spirit, and tonifying the kidneys. Crystal glasses are especially beneficial for eye health, offering high clarity and a cool, soothing effect. Folklore holds that crystal can ward off evil and bring good fortune. It is said that Chairman Mao Zedong’s crystal coffin was made from crystals mined at Yangjiaoling in Hainan.

　　The crystal handicrafts produced here are highly favored by people. This place is also an excellent base for patriotic education. In 1939, the Japanese conducted exploitative mining, and after liberation, the site was mined by relevant Chinese authorities until the present. The Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) was formed by mining excavation, measuring approximately 30 meters wide, 70 meters long, and 200 meters deep. The water is clear and transparent, cool in summer and warm in winter, attracting swimming enthusiasts year-round to enjoy its waters.