A 3,000-year-old glimpse into China's Bronze Age technological prowess

WUHAN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China is famous for its ancient inventions: papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the compass. But there is far more to its technological legacy than these. One notable achievement is the Tonglushan ancient copper mining site. More than 3,000 years ago, people in China were already mining and refining high-purity copper on a large scale at this site, a feat that put them some 2,000 years ahead of the rest of the world. Located in Daye, Hubei Province in central China, this site has welcomed more than 20 million visitors since it opened in the 1980s, including tourists from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Europe and Africa. It received official designation as a National Archaeological Site Park in 2025 and is now working toward UNESCO World Heritage status. To further showcase China's ancient industrial achievements to international visitors, a large-screen presentation launched last year features English subtitles alongside Chinese ones, while the park has also opened an educational workshop for visitors from China and abroad. "The site shows that China has long had the capacity to develop advanced technologies independently. It also strengthens our cultural confidence," said Chen Jiayi, a staff member at the site park. In the 21st century, China has once again emerged as a major industrial and technological power -- home to the world's most comprehensive industrial systems and making rapid advances in areas ranging from new-energy vehicles and artificial intelligence to robotics, quantum technology, space exploration and marine science. The Tonglushan site was discovered by chance during mining operations in 1973, and archaeological excavations found that mining and smelting activity there dates back at least to the early years of the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.). "It confirms that China's Bronze Age civilization followed a complete and independent course of development," Chen said. "Archaeological comparisons show that the copper used in the Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, a famous set of bronze chime bells, as well as many other bronze artifacts, came from Tonglushan." Excavations have found that the ancient mine shafts and tunnels at the site total more than 8,000 meters in length, and over 400,000 tonnes of smelting slag have been unearthed so far. Researchers estimate that between 80,000 and 120,000 tonnes of crude copper were produced there over the centuries, enough to cast about 48,000 sets of bronze bells comparable in scale to those of Marquis Yi of Zeng, or a far larger number of ritual vessels and weapons. "Bronze gave physical form to China's long-standing ritual and musical traditions, its social hierarchy, its way of life, and indeed its pluralistic yet unified civilization," Chen said. Ancient craftsmen at this location had already mastered sophisticated mining and smelting techniques. They used bellows-equipped shaft furnaces and two procedures, namely "oxidized ore to copper" and "sulphide ore to matte to copper," thereby precisely controlling furnace temperatures at around 1,200 degrees Celsius. At the time, crude copper reached a purity of 93 percent, while the copper content in slag was just 0.7 percent, which is a level far ahead of the rest of the ancient world, with some techniques approaching near-modern standards. Mining and metallurgical activity at Tonglushan never really stopped, and by the late 19th century it was home to what was then Asia's largest integrated iron and steel enterprise, while production further expanded after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. "Today, copper production here has moved into higher-value processing, serving fields such as new-energy vehicles, 5G communications and semiconductor chips," said Pan Xiaojin, mayor of Daye. Daye has also expanded into a range of other industries, including intelligent connected new-energy vehicles, optoelectronic information, hydrogen energy, intelligent robotics, the low-altitude economy and green building materials. "The spirit of craftsmanship, fueled by a drive to grow stronger and tempered through countless trials, continues to inspire us to create new wonders," Pan noted.