Benshan Wukeng Introduction
Ben Shan Five Tunnels, as the name suggests, is one of the nine tunnels from the prosperous period of Ben Shan mining. It is located on the hillside of Ben Shan, at an altitude of about 295 meters above sea level. After gold mining in Jinguashi ceased in 1972, the Five Tunnels faced the fate of being closed in 1978. Today, the Five Tunnels is the most well-preserved tunnel among the nine mining pits in Ben Shan. The historical equipment used for gold mining, such as air compressors, ore train heads, washrooms, and ore-carrying cableways, have been well preserved, witnessing the century-long history of Jinguashi mining. In 2004, the Gold Museum Park planned to allow visitors to experience the working conditions of miners in dark tunnels, so a new tunnel about 110 meters long was excavated above the original tunnel, connecting with it, extending the original 70-meter flat entrance of the Five Tunnels to 180 meters. This excavation took more than three months and became the Ben Shan Five Tunnels Experience Center, allowing visitors to glimpse the hard work of miners in just a short experience. Entering the interior of Ben Shan Five Tunnels, the tunnel walls are reinforced with "Niu Tiao" made of Acacia wood, echoing with the sound of flowing water, giving visitors an immediate sense of the dampness of the mine. The yellow-toned lighting on the walls transforms the rough surfaces into a golden color. Within the tunnels, at every segment, visitors can catch glimpses of different stages of a miner's work, including "building Niu Tiao," "drilling," "blasting," and "transporting ore," all silently conducted. A guide leads visitors deeper into the tunnel, engaging in conversation with the newly arrived young people, meticulously introducing every step of gold mining, as their voices echo through the tunnel, stirring a desire in visitors to explore further.
