h-kiang and Shan-tung all
furnish iron ores. Iron (found in conjunction with coal) is worked in
Manchuria.

Copper, tin, &c.

Copper is found chiefly in the provinces of Kwei-chow and Yun-nan,
where a rich belt of copper-bearing ores runs east and west across
both provinces, and including south Sze-ch'uen. The chief centres of
production are at the cities of Tung-ch'uen-fu, Chow-t'ung and
Ning-yuen. The mines are worked as a government monopoly, private
mining being nominally prohibited. The output is considerable, but no
statistics are published by government. Rich veins of copper ore are
also worked near Kiu-kiang. Tin is mined in Yun-nan, the headquarters
of the industry being the city of Meng-tsze, which since 1909 has been
connected with Hanoi by railway. This is an important industry, the
value of tin exported in 1908 being L600,000. Tin is also mined in
Hai-nan and lead in Yun-nan. Antimony ore is exported from Hu-nan;
petroleum is found in the upper Yangtsze region. Quicksilver is
obtained in Kwei-chow. Salt is obtained from brine wells in Shan-si
and Sze-ch'uen, and by evaporation from sea water. Excellent kaolin
abounds in the north-eastern part of Kiang-si, and is largely used in
the manufacture of porcelain.

Precious metals.

The Chinese government has opened small gold mines at Hai-nan, in
which island silver is also found. A little gold-washing is done in
the sandy beds of certain rivers, for instance, the Han river and the
upper Yangtsze, above Su-chow (Suifu), which here goes by the name of
the "Goldsand" river. The amount so extracted is extremely small and
hardly pays the labour of washing, but the existence of gold grains
points to a matrix higher up. The whole of south-western China has the
reputation of being highly metalliferous. Gold is obtained in some
quantities on the upper waters of the Amur river, on the frontier
between China and Siberia. The washings are carried on by Chinese.
Gold has also been found in quartz veins at P'ing-tu, in Shan-tung,
but hardly in paying quantities. There are silver mines in Yun-nan.

Silk and porcelain.

_Manufactures._--The principal native manufactures before the
competition of western nations made itself felt were--apart from the
preparation of tea and other produce for the market--those of
porcelain and silk. The silks and gauzes of Su-chow and Nanking in the
pr