Research On Mercury Mining And Its Cultural Heritage In Wuchuan

Cinabar culture occupies an important position in traditional Chinese c ulture.In prehistoric times,people already had the ideas of life and death,and express ed their desire for the continuation of life with red ores.In the historical society,cinna bar appeared more widely in people’s production and life,and became an important pa rt of Chinese traditional culture.Wuchuan has the reputation of‘Cinabar ancient Cou nty’,which is closely related to its long history of mercury mining,even more than th e history of establishing Wuchuan county.In addition,mercury mining also involves m any problems,such as state governance,regional economic exchanges and integration between ethnic groups.Starting with the history of mercury mining in Wuchuan,the dissertation combin ed with the specific situation of social development to research the characteristics of mercury mining process in each period.The existing archaeological data and literature materials reveal that Wuchuan began mining in the Qin and Han Dynasties.After a lo ng period of slow development,it has achieved little achievements in the Tang and So ng dynasties.The development of mercury mine reached a prosperous stage in the Mi ng and Qing Dynasties.In modern times,Wuchuan Mercury Mine reached a climax o f mining.However,the high tide of mining did transience.At the beginning of the 21 s t century,the prosperity of Wuchuan Mercury Mine will no longer continue.This dissertation researches the social situation of mercury mining area in wuchu an in historical period to reveal the influence of mercury mining on politics,economy and culture in Wuchuan area.According to the existing archaeological materials and cultural legacy of information（including mining sites,construction sites,traffic sites,tombs,stone inscriptions and so on）to analysis through archaeological excavation and fieldwork in Wuchuan.According to the site data,the remains found at present are from the Han dynasty or the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The Han Dynasty is dominated by tombs,while the sites of the Ming and Qing Dynasties include tombs,inscriptions,architectural sites,traffic sites,etc.The large number of Han Tombs in Wuchuan Mercury Mining Area and the high proportion of cinnabar unearthed in the tombs indicate that the Han culture had been introduced into Wuchuan during the Han Dynasty,and this cultural transmission was related to mercury mining.There are more types of sites in the Ming and Qing Dynasties than those in the Han Dynasty,which reflects that the society of Wuchuan Mercury Mining Area was relatively prosperous in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,politically regulated by the central government,economically close to neighboring provinces,and culture were integrated with the outside world.Mercury mining has had a wide social impact on Wuchuan.Due to the central government’s attention to mercury resources,the state has gradually strengthened the governance of Wuchuan.Within Wuchuan society,some families have grasped the advantages of mercury mineral resources and developed into aristocratic families with certain influence on local society.On the other hand,the trade of Wuchuan cinnabar mercury has crossed provincial boundaries and formed a wide-ranging trade platform,which has developed the local social economy and supplemented social resources.In terms of cultural life,Wuchuan has formed a unique cinnabar culture,which is related to cinnabar in terms of diet,medicine,funeral,belief,architecture and so on.Aiming at the cultural heritage left by the existing mercury mining,this dissertation analyzes the problems existing in its protection and utilization,formulates the corresponding protection and utilization principles,and explores the best path suitable for the development and utilization of Wuchuan Mercury Mining cultural heritage.That is,take protection as the primary purpose and development as the important goal,and then analyze specific problems,so as to protect historical and cultural heritage and promote local social development.Wuchuan Mercury Mine has a long history,rich cultural heritage and strong national culture.In view of this,the development of mine park has become an important way for the protection,development and utilization of Wuchuan Mercury Mine.