Page 109 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Heritage and development of Tonglushan mine site

Figure 2. Tonglushan ancient copper mine and artifacts. Source: Photo by the author (2016)

the Terracotta Warriors of the First Qin Emperor in Xi’an relocation and off-site preservation of the complex shaft
City, Shaanxi province, China. and tunnel system lacked sufficient technical support at

Despite its academic significance, the museum’s the time, which would hinder efforts to achieve World
proximity to active mining operations – as close as 8 m – Cultural Heritage status (Huang, 1989).
has posed significant challenges. Beneath the archeological After 8 years of stalemate and multiple rounds of
remains of Ore Body No. 7 lie approximately 1.39 million negotiations, the State Council approved the in situ
tons of copper ore and 640,000 tons of ironstone, valued preservation of Ore Body No. 7 in August 1991. It also
at an estimated 1 billion Chinese yuan (Hui et al., 2023). recommended establishing a coordination committee
To preserve the archeological site, the Tonglushan Copper to oversee the balance between site protection and the
Mine Company had to adjust its open-pit mining plans, operational challenges posed by the mine’s production and
set new boundaries, connect open-pit mining with further development (China’s State Council, 1991).
underground infrastructure, and manage ground pressure
and underground flooding. Concerns were raised that 4. Site museum as a means to integrate
in situ preservation could significantly impede the mine heritage preservation and countryside
company’s production and profitability over an extended development
period (Leng, 1999). As a result, some advocated for the Unlike the recent trends of “museum fever” and “cultural
site’s relocation and the museum’s restoration elsewhere.
tourism fever” in China, the Tonglushan Ancient Copper
Opponents of relocation – primarily scholars from Mine Site Museum, located in the suburbs of an inland
cultural, historical, and archeological backgrounds – County town, has long served primarily as a public cultural
argued for preserving the site’s original integrity. They institution. After the State Council formally approved
emphasized the unique historical and cultural legacy the in situ preservation of the site in 1991, the museum’s
of the Tonglushan ancient mine, describing it as an primary responsibilities shifted to ensuring the safety of
embodiment of the Chinese national spirit and a part of the archeological site and protecting features, such as water
humanity’s shared heritage. Huang (1989, p. 79) noted: flow and the ancient timber pit supports (Shi & Wang, 1994;
“The original Tonglushan ancient copper mine site covered Shi, 2003). To enhance public engagement and improve the
approximately 20,000 sqkm, and less than 2,000 sqm exhibition of the site, additional features were gradually
have been preserved – a very small portion.” Relocating integrated. These features included simulated archeological
the remaining relics, they argued, would compromise exploration pits, models of underground shafts and tunnel
the site’s essence by severing the connection between the structures, modeled smelting furnaces, and two small
ancient mining and metallurgical relics and the mine itself. exhibition rooms showcasing mining- and smelting-
Moreover, they highlighted the technical challenges: the related artifacts unearthed from the site (Figure 3).

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4898