The Ancient Iron Smelting Site of Aqike

　　  The Ancient Iron Smelting Site of Aqike was discovered in 1958 and is located in the Aqike Mountain Gorge, more than 30 kilometers south of Luopu County. At the foot of a hillside, there are numerous ancient sintered materials and broken pottery tuyeres. In a long-sealed small cave nearby, a pile of stone chisels and hammers was also found. The surfaces of these tools are covered with hematite powder, indicating that they are among the oldest mining tools. The Aqike iron smelting site is preliminarily identified as dating back to the Han and Tang dynasties.