116 COGGIN BROWN : MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES OF YUNNAN. 



The Pao-p'ing-ch'ang mines are said to be over 200 years old 



and to have been opened in the Ch'ien Lung 



btatistics. 1 u * , . P 



dynasty. About 100 years ago, the nunc is 



related to have produced over 1,785 tons of metallic copper per 

 annum, and to have found employment for five or six thousand 

 men. In the K'ang Hsi dynasty an average of 110 tons of copper 

 was produced annually. But of late years the production has 

 fallen off rapidly and in 1907 it only reached about 20 tons. In 

 the year of my visit, 1909, production witnessed a marked improve- 

 ment and it was estimated that 60 tons would be turned out. About 

 8 years before this the total output of all the copper mines of the 

 Yung-pei Ting district was some 150 tons per annum, but six years 

 later this had fallen to approximately 30 tons. The later improve- 

 ment was therefore a well-marked one though it was probably 

 brought about by the installation of the provincial mint in Yunnan 

 Pa and the endeavours of the LocaK Government to stimulate the 

 supply of copper for coinage purposes. 



The mining and smelting operations at Pao-p'ing-ch'ang are 

 controlled by a syndicate of twelve partners. These men are not 

 natives of the district but come from the metallurgical centres of 

 Tung-ch'uan Pu and Lin-an Pa. They were supposed to sell all 

 the metal produced to the Government representative in Yung- 

 pei T'ing, who paid for it at prices fixed from time to time by the 

 Central Bureau. As a matter of fact in this isolated area far away 

 from the centre of the administration, there was admittedly a 

 considerable amount of corruption, smuggling and contraband trade 

 in copper. 



About 250 men were employed at the time of my visit. The 

 miners were paid at the rate of Rs. 3 per mensem, the carriers from 

 lis. 1-6-0 to Rs. 2 per mensem. The women who sorted the ore 

 received 50 cash each per day. The surface coolies about the 

 smelters received much the same wages. These remarkably low 

 rates of pay do not appear so ridiculous when it is remembered 

 that the Syndicate also supplies all its labour with food, salt, shoes 

 and tobacco. 



Other Copper mines in the Yung-pei T'ing district. 



Copper ores are worked at the following localities in the Yung- 

 pei T'ing district :— 



Mu-erh-pmg-ch'ang. 



