Thte MoHo Gold Mines, 1885-1910

In the“Self-Strengthening Movement” (Tzu-ch’iang yün-tung自強運動) of the late Ch’ing period, new enterprises such as steamboat navigation, railways, telegram, textile and mines were developed. Although the impact was not striking, China was taking her initial step to industrialization. Among the various items of industrialization, or modernization, the progress of the mineral enterprises were not very impressive, looking them as a whole. The purpose of writing this paper is to select one of the big mines of the late Ch’ing period – the Moho Gold Mines 漠河金礦 – as a case study to discuss its background, organization, management system, and the diplomatic negotiations about these mines between China and Russia. In the end I shall try to evaluate the special nature of the Moho Mines in comparison with other inland mines. The Moho mining system includes mines located at Moho, Kwanyen-shan 觀音山,Chichienho奇乾河and several small mines in the area,which Moho mine was the largest. This area was located at the northern border of Manchuria. In the 1870's Russia took the opportunity of Chinese Moslem rebellions in Sinkiang and occupied the Ili region. Through firm diplomatic policy and several negotiations with the Russians, Ili was returned to the Ch’ing court.