Page 114 - JCAU-7-2

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

Figure 6. Aerial view of the Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site Museum. Source: The Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site Museum (Copyright ©
2024 The Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site Museum. Reprinted with permission of The Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site Museum)

Figure 7. Exhibit plan of Tonglushan ancient copper mine site. Source: Drawing by the author (based on the author’s fieldwork from 2016 to 2017)

City” from the Han dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE), complemented by plans for additional business facilities,
“Qingshan Institution” from the Southern Tang dynasty including a luxury hotel and a performing arts center.
(937 – 976), “Tieshanzhai” from the Song dynasty (960 – To foster broader engagement, the Promotion Bureau
1279), and “Antianlu” from the Ming dynasty. The project
aimed to restore and reconstruct these ancient buildings invited mining companies and members of nearby village
(Figure 8). Notably, the management even proposed committees to participate in a preliminary consultation
restoring buildings such as Chuwangcheng—remnants meeting for the Bronze Town project. Following the
of the Chu state capital located hundreds of kilometers meeting, a rendering of the proposed town was displayed
from Tonglushan—despite limited documentation and at the entrance of the site museum. As shown in Figure 8,
foundational remains. The northern shore of the Changliu the plan envisions a garden-like urban environment with
stream was planned for development as a mineral product high vegetation coverage, a beautiful ecological setting,
trading center for Central China, with malachite from and a blend of mining and metallurgical cultural heritage
Tonglushan as the main commodity. This endeavor was with modern living.

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4898