Just before Christmas we were eating delicious dim-sum in a Chinese restaurant when one of our party noticed a remarkable white calcite mounted on a wooden base standing on the restaurant's bar. The conversation immediately turned to minerals and how China has suddenly become a source of so many varied and beautiful specimens. For many years the country seemed to produce very little and now almost every large international mineral show was full of Chinese dealers selling from tables groaning under the weight of calcite, fluorite, quartz, pyromorphite and many, many others. Reflecting on this, we concluded that we had almost no idea where these minerals come from, nor were we able to find much information on the web when we got home. Looking at our own collection, many specimens were labelled as having come from Hunan. Intrigued by this we decided that it was the time for us to find out for ourselves. A quick look in the diary showed that we had a couple of free weeks at the end of January. Encouraged by the bank balance we decided that this was too good an opportunity to miss. We were going to China.

The first thing to do was to decide where to go. The country is enormous, so careful planning was needed. Looking in books and literature confirmed that Hunan is probably the most prolific Chinese location at present, with neighbouring Guizhou and Hubei provinces coming a close second. Hong Kong therefore made much more sense as a starting point than Beijing, removing the need to travel across the vast expanse of China. So a Saturday evening saw us at Heathrow catching a Cathay Pacific plane to this bustling city. Twelve hours later we had cleared customs and were whisked off the newly built Airport Express into the heart of Hong Kong and our comfortable hotel. The next day was spent sightseeing and adjusting to the change in time. Kowloon is a major tourist attraction and consists of a maze of colourful shops, restaurants, bars and topless clubs. In the evening we took the customary stroll along the Promenade at East Tsim Sha Tsui, which has a fantastic night-time view of Victoria Harbour and finished the night at the famous night market on Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei.

Ordinarily, direct overland travel from Hong Kong to Hunan by train is not possible. Consequently, the following day we took the very modern train 180km north to Guangzhou across the old Chinese border. During the last ten years this has become China's largest and most prosperous city in the South. Massive investment has been made here in the late 1980s to rival its southern neighbour Hong Kong. This continues and the city has just started to build a massive new railway station which will be finished in time for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Meanwhile, we arrived at the old station in Tianhe and bought the tickets for the next stage of our journey to Hunan. Being an overnight train we had a few hours to spare during which we briefly took time to see the impressive sights. Promptly at 9.56pm we departed on the number 5362 express from Guangzhou's main station to Changsha, Hunan's capital city. The train takes 8 hours had three classes of accommodation, seating, hard bunks and soft bunks. The ticket prices are ludicrously low, so for $21 each, we had the comfort of soft beds and a coach valet to see to our every need.

Hunan Province - Mineral Paradise	China's trains are modern and run on time

The night passed relatively quickly although the motion of the train meant that sleeping was difficult. However, we arrived within one minute of the scheduled time, a feat almost unknown on Britain's railways. Our first concern was to find somewhere to stay, and this turned out to be Gold Source Hotel in Furong Road, a plain, but very clean establishment. Changsha is situated in the lower reaches of the Xiangjiang River in northeast Hunan. The city is home to six million people and once belonged to the state of Chu, some 2,500 years ago, ruled by the Qin Dynasty. Today, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Hunan. Although it is a modern industrial city it nevertheless retains many of scenic parts belonging to a bygone age. We went for a walk though the beautiful mature gardens at Yuelu Mountain. These stretch along the Xiang River, with ancient moss-covered trees clinging to the hillside. It was winter now, but in the spring the ground between the trunks is reputedly covered by a carpet of beautiful flowers. At least, the postcards showed it so.

The following day we made our way to the Geological Survey building. We had been told that nearby was a small street lined with shops selling mineral specimens. When we arrived a large sign proclaimed in Chinese and English that the area was the "World Famous" Gem and Mineral Market. Entering the narrow street the first group of shops seemed to be full of jewellery, carvings and trays of polished beads and stones. It is only as you go deeper into the dark alley that you begin to see all manner of mineral specimens. Shop keepers stand outside and shout at you to stop by and look at their minerals. Some offer you delicate porcelain cups of mint or jasmine tea. Others pick up specimens and wave them in your face. The market bustles with people but few of them appear to be foreign tourists or buyers. The majority are Chinese and everyone seems to be rushing about the place. This being China, where everyone loves food, stands selling steaming hot dishes, jostle for position with the mineral shops.

Changsha cityscape	Sin Hu Lai Street - Changsha's mineral market

Most dealers appear to sell an eclectic mix of minerals from all over China. Few specialise and many don't appear to know where the minerals are from. The shop fronts are very narrow, with trestle tables lined up outside. The more expensive specimens have their own carved wooden stands. Others are laid out on newspapers whilst plastic crates of rocks lie on the pavement under the tables. Many specimens are stacked up randomly inside the stores. Above, many have low rooms similarly crowded with specimens. These mostly lie on the floor, so it is difficult to move around. It is also difficult to stand, because of the low height, so we examine minerals whilst crouching down. Its very dark up here. The street has had another power cut so the lights are out. But no one has thought of buying a torch, even though the vendors are keen for you to buy. What light comes through, it does so via a small round window. We take each specimen over in turn to examine it.

A few dealers are more knowledgeable and specialise in specimens from particular mines or locations. One has large quartz stalactites over two meters high, each in its own glass case. Its difficult to see how any foreign visitor could take these home. Instead, most buyers either purchase a few individual display pieces or bulk lots of identical specimens stacked on blue-plastic fruit trays. These are mostly small pyromorphites, calcites, quartzes and pyrites. Regrettably amongst the large display pieces, few appear to be top quality pieces. From discussions in broken English it turns out that the best specimens have long been picked out and shipped to overseas shows like Tucson and Munich. Consequently these dealers are selling what's left. In spite of this they have no qualms about asking you for $100 or more for an average-looking specimen. Everyone has access to the Internet, so they can see what prices Western dealers are asking. But you are expected to haggle and the final price is much less, depending on your skills and how much of a sucker do they think you are. We conclude that travelling to China and buying from dealers like these you neither get to buy the very best specimens nor at the lowest prices. Often Chinese specimens at shows like Munich are better and cheaper.

Nevertheless there are some bargains and good specimens to be had. Amongst these are great stibnites, azurites and realgar that were worth hundreds of dollars a few years ago that you can now pick up for a fraction of the price. The mines have been expanded and new specimens have flooded the market. The market is also awash with spessartine garnets despite a government ban on further mining. However the order has been generally ignored by the farmers who dig these out in order to supplement their low incomes. The dealers just say that the specimens are from old stocks and the trade goes on regardless. A similar ban is threatened upon the fluorite miners who have been plundering Chinese deposits. This is not because of the trade itself but because they have caused severe environmental damage through the overzealous use of dynamite. Two valleys were flooded and crops destroyed recently when blasting broke through into a state-built underground water reservoir.

Cassiterite	Stunning Calcite twin - the best we've seen!

Having thus enjoyed a day's shopping, haggling and drinking tea, we left the market with several crates of specimens. These were carefully packed and shipped back to the UK, courtesy of a global courier company. However, before we leave the market it is worth mentioning a few important things to look out for. The first is that many specimens, especially those of fluorite, have been dipped in oil. This is a truly irritating way of making specimens appear more attractive than they really are. Not only does this mask any flaws, it attracts dirt, so that in to time the specimens are covered in a sticky mess. If you are presented with a specimen awash with oil, ask for one that has not been treated.

Next, is an equally annoying habit of sprinkling the specimens with water before passing them over for you to see. The aim is clearly similar, to improve their appearance. Whilst this is not completely fraudulent, it still makes it difficult to examine the specimens objectively. Again, refuse such specimens, picking up those you want to see yourself.

Lastly, be on a constant lookout for fakes and forgeries. Our advice is to examine each and every specimen very carefully before handing over any money. Common practices include gluing crystals onto matrix, giving crystals artificial terminations, gluing broken crystals together and dipping specimens in various acids to improve their lustre. However, without doubt, the worst transgression of all is the manufacture of specimens from scratch. A good example of this are the yellow okenites we found in Changsha. This is simply white okenite imported from India, which has been dyed yellow. Many of the fakes are so obvious they are laughable, yet these specimens are currently trading for hundreds of dollars. But as the saying goes Caveat Emptor.

Passing through the stunning countryside	Czenzhou - thriving modern China

Having spent two and a half days in Changsha, we wanted to see some of the actual mines. Fortunately, last year, we had made friends with a Chinese dealer, Ping Hau, who sells specimens online. He gave us his contact number, and after a couple of calls we agreed to meet up in Chenzhou, a town in south-eastern Hunan at the centre of the region's mining industry. This involved another train journey, this time on the N729 express train taking just less than 5 hours. Since we took the train in the early morning, the sights unfolding along the way were breathtaking. Rivers, lakes and mountains unfolded as the train travelled south. Along the sides of the track were arable fields, producing crops in the summer, but now alive with birds and other local wildlife. Occasionally the train passed through small towns and villages, throngs of colourful people lining the tracks on either side.

Chenzhou is situated at the juncture of Hunan and Guangdong provinces at the foot of the Nanling Mountain Range. Three years ago the area was severely damaged by flooding, but this has been restored remarkably quickly. Today the town is a bustling city of some 3 million inhabitants. We booked into the Jingyang Hotel, which would act as our base for exploring the area. Several of our specimens originate from this area so we were very interested in discovering more about what goes on here. We rapidly discovered that there are several locations nearby stretching more or less in a straight line from Lanshan in the southwest, to Guiyang and Chenzhou in the middle, and Zixing in the northeast. The most important mine in the region is arguably Yaogangxian Mine approximately 40km southeast of Chenzhou. This is a large tungsten mine and is credited with over 300 different mineral species. In neighbouring Linwu County are the famous Xianghualing, Xianghuapu, and Dongshan mines, known for their spectacular fluorite specimens.

Meeting up with our friend, he drove us along the newly built road to Yizhang, passing empty rice fields and villages on the way. From here we started the climb into the mountains on a narrow dirt road towards the small town of Yaoganxian. As the elevation increased, the crops gradually changed to maize, eventually to be replaced by pine forests. When we arrived in Yaogangxian, we were surprised to find a large town with a population of almost ten thousand people. Many work at the mine, but this is now facing closure. The mine is state owned and the government has decided that it doesn't need to keep these mines open as it can obtain its metals elsewhere. Closure has been set for 2005, so its possible that it will be lost as a source of mineral specimens. Having said that, the governemnt has recognised the value of the specimen trade and has encouraged the mine to employ miners who have the skills to carefully extract aesthetic specimens before they reach the ore crusher. So there may be a reprive after all, if the government continues to receive good returns from selling specimens rather than the ores themselves.

Also, it unlikely that specimen production in the area will stop completely because apart form the large state-owned mines, there are hundreds of small private mines operating in the area. Although mostly illegal these play an important role in Chinese metaliferous mining, accounting for a significant percenatge of the country's output. The government has tried to close some of these down, but as with many other aspects of Chinese life, these orders are usually ignored. So was the case with our entry into the Yaogangxian mine. Whilst official permission is required form mining authorities in Changsha, three hundred Yuan pressed into the palm of the mine's foreman seemed to do the trick.

Entrance to the tungsten mine	A beautiful quartz and fluorite combo

Going underground, the first thing noticed is just how wet the mine is. Access to the mine is through a concrete-lined adit in the side of Yaogangxian Hill. Water seeps through cracks and holes, running down the sides and collecting in pools on the adit floor. Further inside, the concrete lining stops, giving way to rock, which is equally wet. Water drips from the ceiling incessantly, mixing with material on the floor into a grey syrupy mud. Eventually the tunnel divides, and joins other adits from the outside. Here the mine becomes a maze of inclines, tunnels, shafts and stopes, which reflect the complex geological structure. Our guide says that the mine was first opened in 1914 and that Yaogangxian and neighbouring mines form the largest tungsten deposit in the world. The mineralisation is associated with the intrusion of a granite mass some 180million years ago. The tungsten veins are mostly composed of quartz and to date over 200 lodes have been found. Apart from wolframite and scheelite, over ten other tungsten-bearing species are found here. The hydrothermal circulation also deposited numerous other metallic elements including iron, manganese, molybdenum, beryllium, lead and zinc. Consequently the region has produced hundreds of individual mineral species.

After three hours underground our tour is almost up. Surreptitiously the foreman asks whether we would like to buy some specimens. He takes us into a small room at the back of the turbine house. Here, wrapped in greasy rags are wonderful specimens of beryl, helvite, ferberite, phenakite, bornite, tourmaline and bavenite. What he is doing is illegal, but a useful way of supplementing his meagre income. He earns 120 Dollars per month, a good wage in China. He can triple that by selling specimens. He wants to know if we can buy in Dollars, because that way he can offer a better deal. We negotiate for almost an hour, but eventually evryone is happy. He shakes our hand and says "come again". We say that we will be delighted to. And so our visit comes to an end. We get into our friend's Toyota to visit one of the private mines.

The contrast is remarkable. Whilst safety considerations were not a high priority at Yaogangxian, here they are non existent. The mine is entered through a small hole in the hillside. There is water everywhere and the roof is supported by rotting wooden props. One side passage is blocked off by a rock fall. The floor is covered by six inches of mud, through which protrude two wooden rails. Small carts are pushed along these by small boys. The scene resembles something out of Dickens. Towards the end a side passage branches off and we enter the cavity being mined. Mud covers everything, but the regular shapes of crystals can just be made out. This is quartz, but in places there is the glint of yellow scheelite. We are invited to have a go at digging. One swing with the pick and mud splashes everywhere. A small piece of rock detaches from the wall and flies through the air. The miners have stopped and are watching us. Laughter breaks out. We are offered cigarettes, which we decline. Its been dangerous but fun. On the way out we are greeted by the owner who clutches two spectacular tourmalines. After haggling we wrap these and put them in the back of the car.

The private mines are full of "character"	Inside

On the way back we find out how the mineral trade operates. Good quality specimens find their way to Changsha through a network of intermediaries between the miners and the dealers. The best go overseas. The miners have recognised the value of minerals so careful handling means that these now reach the market without damage. The focus lies on aesthetic or colourful specimens, which command the best prices. Regrettably, as a result of this, species with mineralogocal interest or rare species rarely have the same attention and thus rarely reach the market. It is common for minerals to be misidentified as neither the miners or dealers have any specialist knowledge. Also, location information is very unreliable. The specimens reach the dealers in Changsha through a long chain of middlemen, so the provenanace gets lost along the way. Also most dealers don't really care. There is little mineralogical interest with the exception of how much a specimen can be sold for.

Very little preparation takes place before the specimens go for sale. Some specimens are trimmed but not all. The major threat is overzealous cleaning with hard wire brushes which often results in scratches or abrasions. Specimens thus damaged are repaired and often oiled. If pieces break off they are usually glued back together. Some, like calcite, are dipped in acid to improve the lustre. Others like quartz can be recut, or have the crystal sides polished on a vobrolap. It is therefore essential to examine specimens carefully and reject those that don't look right.

Most work is still backbreaking	Contrast between pyrite and rhodochrosite

After a very intersting ten day visit, it was time to return home, again via Hong Kong. What was our impression? China is a beautiful county with a long history and culture. Mineralogically it is immensly rich but because of the political regime it had remained largely closed to the outside world. It is only in the last ten years, after liberalisation, that the Chinese have recognised the potential market for their beatiful specimens. Consequently it is only during the past few years that we have begun to see Chinese minerals in any quantity. However the window of opportunity is probably quite short as the governement, as in many other parts of the world, begins to close down commercially unviable mines, yet those which may contain aesthetic and rare minerals. Specimens are genrally overpriced unless you are prepared to haggle. You can therefore get good deals but you have to be firm and very persistent. Never just pay the first price offered. This applies to mineral shows as well.

Most of the premium specimens are sold abroad for high prices so don't expect to find these in China. Nevertheless there are many fantastic specimens to be found although the Chinese focus on aesthetics rather than rarity or scientific value. Knowledge is generally poor and location information extremely unreliable, unless you have direct access to the source. Finally be very careful of fakes and alterations. Whilst most specimens are genuine, there are numerous fraudelnt practices to watch out for. Consequently examine every specimen carefully and reject any that you are suspicious about. Don't forget that if the deal is too good to be true, it probably isn't.

Huge pyromorphite crystals like these are common	Spessartine garnets on smoky quarts - breathtaking