Word FileSite of Ancient Copper Mine: Site of Ancient Copper Mine in Tongling
Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.
China (Asia and the Pacific) |
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| Date of Submission: | 28/03/2008 |
| Criteria: | (ii)(iii)(iv) |
| Category: | Cultural |
| Submitted by: | State Administration of Cultural Heritage |
| State, Province or Region: | Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province |
| Coordinates: | N29 45 08 - 29 45 32 E115 32 31 - 115 33 04 |
| Ref.: | 5333 |
Description
The copper mine site of Tongling is located in Tongling Village, Xiafan Town, Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province, covering an area of about two square kilometers. It consists of two areas, one for mining and the other for smelting. The former is concentrated in an area of 70,000 square meters, while and latter is scattered over an area of 90,000 square meters. Starting from the winter of 1988, the Jiangxi Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, the Museum of Ruichang and other institutions conducted archeological excavation at the site for five years. Carbon-14 dating shows that mining at the site started in the mid Shang Dynasty 3300±60 years ago and continued through the Western Zhou Dynasty, the spring and autumn period, and the early Warring States period. The large site, which is well preserved and rich in relics, is the earliest of all mining sites so far discovered in China, and the earliest copper mine in the world where wooden props were used for mining. Its discovery has lengthened China's mining history by more than three hundred years, occupying an important position in the field of Chinese bronze culture.
The site was designated as one of the top ten archeological discoveries in China in 1991, and was listed among the fifth batch of key historic sites under national protection by the State Council in 2001.
Justification for Outstanding Universal Value
Justification of Outstanding Universal Value
As for the criterion (ii):
The early mining, ore dressing and smelting technology and management practiced at the copper mine site of Tongling were the most advanced in the world at that time. Most of the mining was conducted underground, complemented by open-pit mining. The ore dressing ground discovered at the site, a major discovery in the world history of metallurgy, represents the advanced Chinese dressing technology at the time and the leading position it occupied in the world. According to historical records, wood chute was used for ore dressing in the Song Dynasty. The discovery of Western Zhou wooden chute used for the same purpose has lengthened the history of such an advanced dressing technology by more than a thousand years. The large amount of slag and the curved chunks of slag and baked clay from furnace wall attest to copper pyrometallurgy. The site was yet another important source of raw material for making bronze in the Chinese Bronze Age. It is worth noting that a variety of means of hoisting in shafts has been discovered at the copper mine of Tongling: booms were used in shallow ones, while pulleys were used in deep ones or at turns in lanes. Such a discovery is significant for the study of the world history of machinery and technology, and attests to the self-formulation of the Chinese bronze culture.
As for the criterion (iii):
The articles for daily life, tools, vehicles, and hoisting machines unearthed at the copper mine site of Tongling, as well as the ore dressing method and smelting technology, attest to the scale of mining and smelting at that time. The site offers a large amount of articles that embody Chinese industry in remote antiquity.
As for the criterion (iv):
The copper mine site of Tongling surpasses any other large Chinese site of copper mining and smelting in age, state of preservation and abundance in relics. Mining started there in approximately the mid Shang Dynasty, developed in the Western Zhou Dynasty, reached its height in the Spring and Autumn period, and continued in the Warring States period, lasting over a continuous period of more than a thousand years. It occupies a crucial position in the field of Chinese bronze culture, for its discovery has lengthened the Chinese history of mining by three to four hundred years.
Satements of authenticity and/or integrity
Despite certain natural and factitious damages, the copper mine site of Tongling, which is ancient and has long been buried underground, remains integral. The five years of scientific excavation of the site since 1988 has revealed the site's boundary, layout, and has provided it with scientific protection. The planned control of the development of the villages, roads and enterprises within the site, which started in 1997, has effectively maintained its original state. The protection of the site conforms to the requirements on authenticity in terms of design, material and technique. At present, besides naturally formed villages and roads, there are only farm fields and greens within the protected area. There are still underground remains left by mining, ore dressing and smelting. The surroundings remain authentic ecologically and historically. In summary, the site enjoys a high degree of authenticity and integrity.
Comparison with other similar properties
The Dynasties of Xia, Shang and Zhou witnessed the splendor of the Chinese Bronze Age. Before the discovery of the copper mine site of Tongling, the earliest pre-Qin copper mines discovered, such as the one at Tonglü Hill in Daye, were from the Western Zhou Dynasty. Many foreign scholars believed that the sudden thriving of the Chinese bronze culture was due to foreign influence. The discovery of Erligang Culture, Erlitou Culture and cultures earlier than Erlitou since the 1950s has proven the unique characteristics and developing sequence of the Chinese bronze culture. However, the source of raw material remained a major concern for historians. The discovery of the copper mine site of Tongling reveals the existence of large-scale mining and smelting in the mid Shang Dynasty, offering further proof that the Chinese bronze culture was born and developed in China, with raw material produced in the country and a self-formulated system of mining, smelting and casting. Furthermore, it attests to the advanced technology employed at that time, which occupies a significant position in world bronze culture.
Not many early mining sites have been discovered around the world. The earliest copper mine hitherto known is an open-pit mine located in Mitterberg, Austria and dates from 3000 BC. The famous Timna mining site of ancient Egypt is located near Gulf of Aqaba and dates from about 3000 years ago. The copper mine site of Tongling is rare in age, the state of preservation, and the abundance and completeness of remains.
Production at the copper mine site of Tongling in Ruichang went on continuously for over a thousand years, starting around the mid Shang Dynasty, developing in the Western Zhou Dynasty, reaching its height in the Spring and Autumn period, and continuing in the Warring States period. The table below shows a comparison between the site and the major pre-Warring-States-period copper mines discovered in China in the time of mining and the copper ore-bearing layer.
Table 1. Comparison of copper ore-bearing layers between major ancient Chinese copper mine sites
Time - Copper ore-bearing layer - Ancient copper mine sites of Tongling site discovered in China
The Warring States period - Layer 7 and the lane beneath - Tongling, Ruichang, Jiangxi; Tonglü Hill, Daye, Hubei; Mayang, Hunan
The Spring and Autumn period - Layers 8 and 9, and the lanes beneath - Tongling, Ruichang, Jiangxi; Tonglü Hill, Daye, Hubei; Gangxia, Yangxin, Hubei; Jinniudong, Tongling, Anhui; Nilekenulasai, Xinjiang
The Western Zhou Dynasty - Layer 9 and the lane beneath - Tongling, Ruichang, Jiangxi; Tonglü Hill, Daye, Hubei; Gangxia, Yangxin, Hubei
The Shang Dynasty - Layers 9 and 10, and the lanes beneath - Tongling, Ruichang, Jiangxi
An analysis of the carbon-14 dating data of the unearthed relics and wood taken from shafts and tunnels indicates that the copper mine site of Tongling is the earliest copper mine site hitherto discovered in China. It occupies a significant position in Chinese bronze culture, for its discovery has lengthened the Chinese mining history by three to four hundred years.
It was traditionally believed that the Yellow River Valley was the cradle of the Chinese civilization, which had spread in all directions from the valley. In recent years, however, new archeological discoveries have made that theory more and more questionable. The culture of the Valley was often dominant in many, but not all, aspects. The progress from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age was probably a continuum that was closely related to the invention of the technology of copper mining and smelting. The moving of the capital in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties was often necessitated by the need for rich resources of copper ore. Currently available archeological data suggest that the technology of mining, ore dressing and smelting as well as the management method employed at the copper mine site of Tongling were the most advanced in the Central Plains and probably in the whole world. The site not only shows that the Yangtze Valley was one of the homes of the Chinese bronze culture, but also provides valuable evidence for the bilateral and multilateral transmission of Chinese culture.