Page 105 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese

Architecture and Urbanism

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Leveraging heritage conservation for

development: A case study of the Tonglushan
ancient copper mine site in Daye, Hubei, China

Jingjing Luo*

Department of Academic Research, Shenzhen Museum, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Regenerating Views, Values, and Visions in Countryside
Conservation in Chinese Societies)

Abstract

The Tonglushan ancient copper mine site, the first mining and smelting archeological
site discovered in China, holds significant value as evidence of advanced copper
extraction techniques and sophisticated social organization in Chinese Bronze Age
civilization, dating back thousands of years. However, its discovery during modern
mining operations has raised persistent challenges over the past 50 years regarding
the preservation of archeological remains, the methods of protecting them, and
*Corresponding author: their potential utilization to drive coordinated urban and rural development in the
Jingjing Luo region. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2016 and 2017 in the Tonglushan
(luojingjing@shenzhenmuseum. area, this study uses the local practice of protecting Tonglushan’s archeological
com) heritage as a lens to explore the relationship between cultural heritage conservation
Citation: Luo, J. (2025). and regional development. By examining the complex process of preserving or
Leveraging heritage conservation relocating archeological remains in situ, this article presents practical considerations
for development: A case study of
the Tonglushan ancient copper within the context of China’s modern industrialization. As mineral resources
mine site in Daye, Hubei, China. become increasingly depleted and public interest in cultural heritage grows, the
Journal of Chinese Architecture and local government has sought to leverage archeological heritage as a catalyst for
Urbanism, 7(2): 4898.
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4898 developing cultural tourism and achieving place-making. This study provides
insights into transformation strategies for resource-dependent regions.
Received: September 20, 2024
Revised: November 22, 2024
Keywords: Tonglushan; Heritage conservation; Industrial transition
Accepted: December 11, 2024
Published online: February 4,
2025
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). 1. Introduction
This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the The history of settlement development since the Industrial Revolution demonstrates
Creative Commons Attribution- that rural areas are often drawn into the industrialization process, leading to regional
Non-Commercial 4.0 International urbanization. In resource-based cities, the demands of modern industrial production
(CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits all
non-commercial use, distribution, can rapidly attract a large population and drive the swift construction of industrial
and reproduction in any medium, towns, transforming rural wilderness into vibrant mining hubs. The case of Tonglushan
provided the original work is
properly cited. exemplifies this transformation.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience In the 1960s, the discovery of rich copper and iron deposits in the Tonglushan
Publishing remains neutral with area spurred significant government investment in mining. This investment quickly
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional transformed the once-rural area into an industrial hub. However, this early phase of
affiliations. industrial development proved unsustainable. As mineral resources were gradually

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4898