Travelogue: Turning copper into gold
Li Hui, Tianran He
[]
02:58

You've probably never heard of Qujing County, and you're even less likely to have heard of Huize. However, some 400 years ago, this part of Yunnan Province in southwest China was home to a large number of copper mines, which turned the nearby town of Huize into one of the richest in the country. 

Huize’s weathered alleys belie its affluent past. /CGTN Photo

Huize’s weathered alleys belie its affluent past. /CGTN Photo

At its height, 70 percent of all copper coins in circulation during the Qing Dynasty originated from Huize's mines. An impressive 108 merchants' guildhalls sprung up across town, trying to outdo each other in grandeur like peacocks in a zoo. Today only eight guildhalls remain and the legacy of Huize's wealth has all but faded.

Huize’s Jiangxi Guildhall is the best preserved of the remaining guildhalls. /CGTN Photo

Huize’s Jiangxi Guildhall is the best preserved of the remaining guildhalls. /CGTN Photo

But not everyone has forgotten Huize's past. Zhang Wei is the 13th generation of coppersmiths in his family and the owner of a closely-guarded chemical solution, which causes gold flecks to appear on copper as if by magic. In order to create these "speckled copper" wares, Zhang Wei mixes pure copper with native copper, a rare, naturally occurring mineral form of the metal. Crucially, this ore will occasionally contain precious metals such as silver or gold. When an item made of this copper alloy is washed using Zhang's secret solution, a chemical reaction causes glittering, crystalline patterns to bloom across its surface. 

Speckles appear after a 10-minute soak. /CGTN Photo

Speckles appear after a 10-minute soak. /CGTN Photo

Here's the kicker: It's impossible to predict what kind of pattern will appear. A particularly handsome one may allow a beer bottle-sized vase to fetch upwards of 1,800 yuan (around 270 U.S. dollars), while one with a less attractive pattern would be worth half that. In the past, this was called "betting on copper."

Zhang Wei tempers a copper vessel outside his workshop. /CGTN Photo

Zhang Wei tempers a copper vessel outside his workshop. /CGTN Photo

While it's no philosopher's stone, armed with his secret solution and copper alloy, Zhang Wei is able to transmute the mundane into the delightfully unexpected, and continue the work of his forefathers in a town that's all but forgotten its legacy.

A pair of specked copper elephants. /CGTN Photo

A pair of specked copper elephants. /CGTN Photo

Explore Qujing County with Travelogue host Tianran He in the final episode of our epic series, “The Pearl River: Mouth to Source”. Travelogue broadcasts on Sundays at 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Mondays at 2:00 a.m. and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m.