Yunnan is rich in mineral resources with immense
reserves. Of the 140 kinds of minerals mined throughout the world,
112 kinds may be found in Yunnan. Lead, zinc, tin, phosphorus and
copper are five minerals with the largest reserves in the
province, while the reserves of lead, zinc and tin are the largest
in China. Mining in Yunnan has been going on for many centuries.
The copper reserves in Yunnan rank third among China's provinces,
copper mines operating in 42 counties of 13 prefectures throughout
the province. The isotopic examination of 91 bronze articles
unearthed from the Fuhao Tomb, dating back to the Shang Dynasty
(11th-16th century BC) how that some of the materials were made at
the Jinsha Factory located in today's Yongshan County. Because of
the rich reserves of copper in Yunnan, the ancient Dian Kingdom
was famous for its "bronze civilization." Isotopic examinations of
the bronze ware discovered in Shizhai Hill prove that the raw
material for the ancient articles unearthed came from within
Yunnan. Archeological discoveries of many ancient tombs located in
Yunnan have shown that bronze articles for daily use were already
common in this area some 2,000 years ago. Articles unearthed range
from kettles, bowls, plates, tables, wine bottles, barrels,
hatchets, bronze pillows to whole sets of tools for spinning and
weaving, farming and fishing, and many weapons. Dongchuan, located
in northeast Yunnan, is called the "capital of copper."It is one
of China's largest sources of copper. The so-called
"capital of tin" is Gejiu, capital of the Honghe Hani and Yi
Ethnic Minorities Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. The largest tin
mine in China was opened here. Its annual output accounts for 60
per cent of China's total tin requirements. Extraction of tin in
the province dates back to ancient times. Archeologists have
discovered a number of ancient tombs containing relics of tin
articles. These relics show us that Gejiu tin processors employed
the smelting technique in as long ago as the Han Dynasty. The
local smeltery developed into an industry during the Ming and Qing
dynasties. By 1883, a state-run company had been established to
manage the production and marketing of tin products. In 1909,the
Gejiu Tin Company imported some extremely expensive, and more
advanced production equipment from France, including washing and
sorting machines, smelting equipment, laboratory test equipment,
cable transporting systems and power production equipment. In 1938
tin production in Gejiu reached its peak. In that year the total
labor force numbered over 100,000 and the annual output of refined
tin products reached 900 tons. As a result, China's tin output at
that time was fourth in the world's tin producing countries.
The development of railways, post, telecommunication and other
facilities in Yunnan began with the boom of the tin industry. The
first railway linking Yunnan with Vietnam was built at that time. |