In 1928, archaeologists unearthed a vast collection of bronze artifacts dating back about 3,300 years at the Yinxu Ruins in Anyang, Henan province, including a massive bronze vessel weighing 832.84 kilograms. The discovery raised a fundamental question: Who produced such a large quantity of bronze, and where did the copper originate? Despite decades of research, no definitive answers emerged, prompting some scholars to speculate that China’s bronze culture may have had foreign origins.
A breakthrough finally came in 1973. At a mining site in Daye, Hubei province, archaeologists discovered copper axes, the largest weighing 16.3 kg, revealing an ancient mine that had been buried for more than 2,000 years. The site is now known as the Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine.
Years of archaeological investigation suggest that mining at the Tonglushan site was most active from the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC) to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), spanning over 1,000 years.
“This discovery finally provided the long-sought answer to the source of raw materials for bronze artifacts, rewriting the history of China’s ancient bronze civilization,” says Wu Hongtang, a veteran archaeologist who participated in the site’s first excavations in the 1970s.
According to Wu, Tonglushan is an ancient mining and smelting complex distinguished by its long period of operation, large scale, complete production chain, advanced technology, and exceptional state of preservation.
To date, archaeologists have identified more than 100 mining and smelting sites and over 250 ancient tombs, along with a wealth of mining tools and traces of daily life.
Wu notes that among the many ancient copper mining sites discovered in China, Tonglushan is the only one where miners’ tombs have been found.
Fewer than 300 artifacts have been unearthed from these tombs. Among them are two high-status burials, believed to belong to a mining engineer and a site supervisor, containing valuable objects such as copper knives, jade artifacts, and small bronze cauldrons.
“The limited number of unearthed artifacts suggests that the living conditions for ordinary miners at the time were extremely harsh. The differences among the tombs also reflect the class distinctions of that era,” Wu explains.
One of the site’s most remarkable discoveries is a set of 35 barefoot footprints left by ancient miners. In 2012, Chen Shuxiang, a researcher at the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and his colleagues uncovered the footprints during an excavation.
The prints vary in condition, with the longest intact footprint measuring 26 centimeters. Based on their characteristics, experts identified them as ancient barefoot impressions. Judging from their depth and surrounding evidence, Chen says he believes the miners were likely carrying heavy loads while crossing wet ground.
Chen notes that some mining shafts reach depths of 60 to 80 meters. Yet, no human remains have been found inside them, suggesting that no major underground accidents occurred during the site’s long history of operation.
