Page 111 - JCAU-7-2

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

combined with economic and resource limitations, have view the ore body, the ancient diggings, and two exhibition
redirected public focus toward the transformation and halls within the museum. However, upon a deeper
development of a green economy. Increasingly, the ancient analysis, the author found that the Promotion Bureau has
mining and smelting sites are being reconsidered as implemented several changes aimed at engaging with local
valuable cultural resources. mining culture and fostering connections with the old
industrial communities. These changes can be summarized
5. Promoting tourism in the name of as follows (Figure 5):
archeological site conservation (i) Relocated entrance: The main entrance of the
In 2010, the Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site Museum Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site Museum has
was reopened, and the responsibility for protecting and been relocated. The previous entrance, situated in the
managing the site was transferred to the newly established southwest near the open-pit mining area, was far from
Promotion Bureau at the County level. Reflecting on earlier residential areas. The only access road was primarily
assessments from 2001, a private organization known as used by large vehicles associated with mining
the Bronze Culture Promotion Association was founded in companies, and public transportation was unavailable
the Tonglushan area. This organization asserted that “for within a 20-min walk. The newly opened entrance
more than 20 years, the value of the Tonglushan site and now faces east and is located closer to a nearby village,
the full utilization and development of resources have not improving accessibility. However, visitors must climb
been satisfactory” (DBPA, 2004, pp.13-14). They attributed 144 steps from the entrance to reach the museum,
making the start of their visit physically demanding.
this shortfall to a management system characterized by (ii) New public bus route: To further improve accessibility,
conflicting priorities: on the one hand, an excessive focus the Daye County Government constructed a new
on conservation led to overprotection, while on the other, highway connecting Spring Village to downtown
a permissive attitude toward neglecting development Daye County and established three bus routes serving
stifled enthusiasm from both the local government and the the Tonglushan area. Notably, Bus Line No. 16 now
community (DBPA, 2004).
provides direct service between the County’s high-
The challenge remains: how can archeological sites be speed railway station and the site museum.
utilized to generate economic benefits? For the Tonglushan (iii) Integration of digital technology into exhibitions: The
ancient copper mine site, this question is particularly exhibition hall of the museum has incorporated new
pressing, as the absence of exquisite cultural relics limits digital technologies to enhance visitor engagement.
its appeal to visitors. Consequently, developing tourism A key addition is an interactive e-book that simulates
around the site has emerged as a significant challenge for the experience of reading a physical book, featuring
the Promotion Bureau team. To address this issue, the touchscreen displays with locally relevant documents
Promotion Bureau, in collaboration with local economic about copper. This innovation aimed to educate
institutions, initiated a series of strategic measures. visitors about Tonglushan’s extensive history of
The first step involved gradually shutting down private mining and smelting. Additionally, an animated
mining enterprises in the surrounding area, applying to video illustrating the bronze ware production process
expand the site’s protective boundaries, and implementing – from copper mining and smelting to casting – has
ecological management for both the surface and subsurface proven notably popular. Information screens have also
environments. These efforts culminated in the Tonglushan been installed, allowing visitors to access explanations
ancient copper mine site being reinstated on China’s during self-guided tours. However, the operation
World Cultural Heritage Tentative List in 2012 as part of and maintenance of this digital equipment present
the Huangshi Industrial Heritage Area. The second step challenges for the County government. For instance,
entailed formulating a new archeological site protection devices purchased and installed in 2010 frequently
plan, which included expanding the land under effective malfunctioned, and during the author’s year-long
management and engaging experts from relevant fields to fieldwork, the e-book machine was never observed in
deliberate a comprehensive tourism strategy. working condition. Furthermore, after-sales technical
support is only available from companies based in
5.1. Renovation and updates to the site museum Wuhan, with no local services in Daye. As a result,

Based on interviews with long-term employees, the the high maintenance costs have placed considerable
exhibition content of the Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine strain on the museum’s budget.
Site Museum, newly renovated in 2010, remains largely (iv) Museum ticket pricing: The newly reopened site
unchanged from its previous iteration. Visitors can still museum charges an admission fee of 40 Chinese

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