【Guess the Scenic Spot in Haichuan】Known as Asia’s first sinkhole, it has now become a **park**

It looks scary just by looking at it; what’s more if there’s a heavy downpour……

The Daye Iron Mine open-pit quarry, known as Asia’s largest pit (also referred to as the Mining and Metallurgy Grand Canyon), is located in Tieshan District, Huangshi City, Hubei Province. Tieshan got its name because the hills surrounding it are rich in iron ore. Tieshan has a long history of iron mining. According to Tao Hongjing’s \"Record of Swords and Blades Through the Ages\" from the Southern Dynasties’ Qi and Liang periods, in the fifth year of Huangwu during the Wu state of the Three Kingdoms era (226), Sun Quan carried out mining and sword-making activities here. The “Geography Chapter” of the Book of Jin also states: “In E, Wuhan Commandery, there is an Iron Palace.” ”According to the Qing dynasty’s \"Readings on History and Geography,\" it is stated that in Tieshan, within Dàyè County, forty li to the north of the county, there are iron mines. During the Tang dynasty, furnaces were built there to smelt gold and iron. ”In 1876 (the second year of the Guangxu era), Guo Shidun, an English mining engineer hired by Sheng Xuanhuai, rediscovered the mine (its exploitation had been halted by the Qing dynasty). In 1890 (the 16th year of the Guangxu era), Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, officially established a large-scale mine there. In 1893, the Daye Iron Mine began operations, becoming China’s first large-scale open-pit iron mine to use machinery in its extraction processes. The mining area was chosen at Tiemenkang, and that year it produced over 3,000 tons of ore. Tieshan Town was established in 1953. Tieshan District was established in 1973 (officially founded on December 17, 1979). Daye Iron Mine, commonly known as Tieshan, covers an area of 12.6 square kilometers. For the iron deposits associated with intermediate-acidic intrusions (granodiorite), namely the famous \"Daye-type iron ores\". From west to east, it consists of six ore deposits: Tiejimenkan, Longdong, Jianlin Mountain, Xiangbi Mountain, Shizishan, and Jianshan, which are distributed in a north-westerly direction and are connected to each other. Except for Jianlin Mountain, all other ore bodies are exposed at the surface. The proven reserves amount to 140 million tons, with an iron content of 30%–60%; the main types of ore are hematite, magnetite, and mixed ores. It is one of China’s top ten iron mines. In 2006, China’s first iron mine museum was established—the Daye Iron Mine Museum.

The open-pit quarry at Wugang Daye Iron Mine

After a century of mining, the Daye Iron Mine has become \"Asia’s largest open-pit mine.\" With a total length of 4,400 meters, a length from east to west of 2,200 meters, and a maximum width from north to south of 550 meters, its opening area amounts to 1.08 million square meters, while the area at the bottom is 8,150 square meters. The elevation ranges from 276 meters to minus 168 meters, resulting in a maximum drop of 444 meters, which is the greatest among the slopes of open-pit mines in the world. And it left behind an abandoned underground mining tunnel that is tens of thousands of meters long. With its extremely deep and steep slopes, this open-pit mine ranks first in Asia; it represents the essence of China’s modern industrial civilization, which is why it is known as \"Asia’s number one mining pit.\" It is said that over 360 million tons of rock were removed from this mine, with more than 130 million tons of iron ore extracted in total, and over 320,000 tons of copper ore produced. The mining areas within the pit, known as the \"working faces,\" leave behind geometric cross-sections that resemble giant steps, giving the \"cenote\" the appearance of an ancient Roman amphitheater or of tree rings, with each layer displaying the vicissitudes of history. To improve the ecological environment, Asia’s largest hard-rock greening and reclamation site with an area of 2.47 million square meters has been established. In 2005, it was designated as the Yellowstone **Mine Park (covering an area of 23.2 square kilometers) together with the ancient copper-mining site in Tonglushan; the main area of the Daye Iron Mine became one of the eight core scenic areas, spanning 22 square kilometers. In 2010, it was awarded the title of **4A-level scenic area**. The main area of Daye Iron Mine is divided into the Mining Expo Park and the Daye Iron Mine Museum. The Mining Expo Park showcases the history of mining development, featuring over 10 different types of mining and transportation equipment, including Soviet-made sledgers, American 50B heavy-duty mining vehicles, and Japanese high-power dump trucks. The museum features eight exhibition series, including minerals, ancient mining activities, and visits by notable figures. It displays 483 physical objects, 635 photographs, as well as over 100,000 words of historical and textual materials; it is China’s first museum dedicated to iron mines. It is worth mentioning that the Daye Iron Mine has helped create ten firsts in China: it was the first large-scale open-pit iron mine in China to be mined using machinery ； The main components of Hanyeping Company, Asia’s largest and earliest steel complex ； The iron mine, the only one of the industrial enterprises established by Zhang Zhidong, a pioneer of modern industry in China, that has survived to this day and continues to be operational ； *The only iron mine that was inspected ； China’s first large-scale geological exploration team, the 429 Geological Exploration Team, was established here, and China’s first group of female geological explorers were born here as well ； A large copper-iron deposit that was first discovered through geological exploration by foreign experts hired in China ； The Xialu Strike carried out by workers at the Daye Iron Mine in January 1923 was China’s first strike to end in victory, providing organizational experience for the February 7th Strike on the Beijing-Hankou Railway ； The first iron mine to witness the Japanese invaders’ frenzied plundering of China’s mineral resources ； After years of mining, the East open-pit has developed the world’s steepest slope with a drop of 444 meters ； It includes the largest hard-rock greening and reclamation site in Asia, with a built-up area of 2.47 million square meters, among other things.

Iron is mined in Tieshan, Huangshi, bringing benefits to millions of Chinese people

Over 130 million tons of iron ore have been extracted in total, and more than 320,000 tons of copper ore have been produced – what an impressive figure!

Iron is mined in Tieshan, Huangshi, bringing benefits to millions of Chinese people