128 ((HiiiiN BROWN: UlSKs\- klNERAt R&SOURCES OF YUNNAN. 



The mining and metallurgy of lead, silver and zinc, is controlled 

 in much the same way as copper. All work is carried on with 

 the permission of the Government, and is superintended by the 

 mandarin-delegates of the Bureau of Mines. The rough metals 

 are handed over to the officials for sale which is not permitted 

 privately. Contributions of both lead and zinc have to be made 

 annually to the Imperial Exchequer. 



Davies has drawn attention to the fact that there is an export 

 trade in lead and zinc as well as copper from Yunnan to the Yangtze 

 valley. (D., p. 318). Regarding the occurrence of silver, he writes 

 " This metal is if anything more abundant than copper, and one 

 can seldom travel far in Yunnan without seeing or hearing of silver 

 mines. I doubt if there is any large district in the province which 

 does not produce silver. Many of these mines are well worked, 

 and Yunnan supplies much of the silver used in other parts of 

 China." (D.. p. 314). 



The same writer mentions the occurrence of lead and silver 

 in the Ming-kuan valley and at Hsiao-hsin-kai. which I have visited 

 and describe in a later paragraph. (1).. p. 314). lie also mentions 

 the existence of silver mines in the Wei-hsi Ting districts. In 

 the province of Kuei-chou he notes the prevalence of lead, silver 

 and zinc ores in the Wei-ning Chou district, (D., pp. L66-167.), 

 and makes the following observations on mining at Kung-shan. a 

 large village on the route from Wei-ning Chou to Tung-ch'uan Fu. 

 just across the Kwei-chou border but in Yunnan: — 



' : Lead and zinc are the two chief minerals, and the lead ore 

 also produces a small quantity of silver. I was told that the 

 output of lead averages 400 pounds in a day. The zinc is got 

 out of very deep shafts, extending they say several li into the 

 hillside. I did not test the exact accuracy of the statement 

 but I went a little way down one shaft and it certainly seemed a 

 very deep one. They are not sunk straight down but are sloped 

 so that a man can walk down them, though the passage is so low that 

 he has to keep in a bent position most of the way.'* (D., p. 171). 



Lead-mining in the Ming-kuan. 



The Ming-kuan is the name given to part of the valley of the 

 No-lo Ho, a tributary of the Lung-chiang which is the Shwe-li of 

 Upper Burma. It lies between 30 and 40 miles due north of 

 Teng-yueh Ting and about 24 miles due east from the frontier in 



