Iron Production Industry in Western Chongqing During the Late Ming Dynasty: A Perspective from Smelting Related Materials

Abstract

Four iron smelting related sites were discovered in Zouma Town, western Chongqing, China. Among these sites, two (Luduizi and Tieshazitu) were dated to the end of the Ming Dynasty in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries A.D. and the other two (Gaoluchang and Nianmigou) were dated to the Late Qing Dynasty in the nineteenth century. Large amounts of smelting-related materials were excavated from these sites. Ten metallographic samples collected from excavated slags, a furnace wall, and iron ore were prepared and analyzed. This article reports the first scientific analysis of smelting-related materials in the area. The results provide a preliminary understanding of iron production technology in Chongqing in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.