Zhěhǎi

Zhehai lies in the hills southeast of Huize, in the mining country of Dongchuan. Lead ores were worked here alongside the copper districts for which the wider region was famous. The Zhehai lead works began operating under the Qing in 1741; by 1759 the authorities had fixed a levy on its output. Mining and smelting drew people into the uplands and supplied metal for the needs of the empire.