Changjiang Iron Mine Site

Changjiang Shilu, a small town where you can see mountains, waters, and blooming kapok trees, was born from the iron mine and named after it, with an industrial civilization that continues uninterrupted. This town, hidden in the echoes of history, has many things worth savoring, both in terms of scenery and human affairs. The repair shop, train station, cinema, and mining park all bear the deepest memories of generations of iron mine workers. Today, the mining area still looks like it did half a century ago, with old and dilapidated buildings standing quietly among them, as if telling of past glory and weight. Walking in the mining area is like returning to that golden age, with mountains undulating and overlapping, reflecting off the iron mine and forming a magnificent picture. The name 'Shilu' in Shilu Iron Mine comes from the discovery of copper mines on the surface of the mountains in ancient times, which were of the malachite type, with the rocks being dark green and dripping with emerald. People then called it 'Shilu Ridge,' which later changed to 'Shilu Ridge' due to dialect pronunciation. As early as the 47th year of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1782 AD), Shilu Ridge had erected a stele forbidding private mining, and it has a history of 400 years from ancient folk manual mining to the present. This world-famous mine is hidden at the foot of Jinniu Ridge not far from the town. The open-pit mine looks like a meteorite crater, forming a spectacular artificial canyon scene. It is sunken on a volcanic sedimentary metamorphic iron deposit, embedded in Shilu's industrial history, with crisscrossing lines and patches, indescribably vast. At dusk, the red glow of the sunset travels along the shape of the mountains, the surrounding vegetation is lush with greenery, spreading around the mountains and fields, and the valley occasionally drops a few crisp bird calls, making one realize how quiet and silent this mining wilderness is. At this moment, the interweaving of time and the illusion of life scatter flickering points of light. The people of the town return to the mundane day after day, watching the 'industrial memory' that is created and disappears daily around them, still holding an unceasing love for the old buildings, the sunset of the town, the small shops at the corners, and the floating dust on the mountains. Shilu Iron Mine is a mining area mainly based on iron ore, with coexisting multi-metal and non-metallic mineral resources, known as the largest rich iron mine in Asia. The main metal mineral is hematite. Shilu Iron Mine was established in 1939, with a total area of 60 square kilometers, and was selected as the second batch of China's industrial heritage protection list on April 12, 2019.