Mercury, often called mercury, is a highly mobile silver-white liquid metal with strong cohesion and a chemical element symbol of Hg. Atomic coefficient 80, melting point -38.87 ° C, boiling point 357 ° C, density 13.6 g/m3 (at 0 ° C). Widely used in electrical instrumentation, chemistry, medicine, atomic energy industry and other aspects. Although mercury is widely used, its toxicity causes great harm to the health of production workers and the surrounding ecological environment, so that its use in some industries is limited. For example, thermometers and dry batteries, the national environmental protection department does not allow the use of mercury and mercury compounds. As a result, mercury consumption in domestic and foreign markets has declined since 1965, and mercury production has decreased accordingly. Nevertheless, the unique role played by mercury in many industrial fields is predicted to be irreplaceable by other materials for a long time, and there is still considerable need and development prospects.

The mercury produced by Guizhou mercury mine and Tongren mercury mine in Tongren area is made by fire smelting, which contains various impurities easily separated, the quality is quite high, and the general purity is more than 99.9996%, which enjoys the reputation of exemption from inspection in the export national standard market, so it is not equal. In the 1950s, it was exported to the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, after the 1960s, it was sold to the third world countries, and in the 1970s, it was sold to more than 40 countries and regions such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was no detailed written record of mercury production in Tongren area, and it was only reflected by scattered statements based on relevant data. The Anglo-French Mercury Company shipped 700 tons of mercury when it was mined. In the early years of the Republic of China, the annual output of mercury in provincial Xi County (today's Wanshan Special Zone) was about 90 tons. From 27 to 35 years of the Republic of China (1938-1946), Guizhou Mining Bureau of the National Government Resources Committee (later renamed Mercury Industry Management Office, Southwest Mercury Mining Bureau) produced a total of 880.58 tons of mercury and 72.4 tons of cinnabar in Wanshan and Tongren Dadongla. Before 1949, Wanshan mined a total of 238 old mines, geological engineering personnel according to the empty field volume and average grade calculation, determined that from the early Ming cinnabar mercury field Bureau to the liberation of Wanshan in 1949, a total of hundreds of years, the amount of mercury produced can reach 8,000 tons. From 1950 to 2003, 21,300 tons of mercury were communized. A total of 30,900 tons of mercury were produced during these periods.

Tongren City Tongren mercury mine from 1952 to 1995, a total of 5644.44 tons of mercury. Before 1949, more than 100 old mines were mined in Dadong Mercury Mine, and about 490,000 tons (grade 0.6%) of mercury ore were mined and 784 tons of mercury were produced according to the calculation of geological engineering personnel based on the volume of empty pit and the local average grade. A total of 6,428.4 tons of mercury were produced during these periods.

The Wanshan mercury mining area produced 30,900 tons of mercury in various periods, the Tongren Dadongla mercury mining area produced 6428.4 tons of mercury in various periods, and the township enterprises in various counties produced 3,165.88 tons of mercury over the years. Tongren area since ancient times to 2011, a total of 42,400 tons of mercury. This data is incomplete statistics, due to the age, there must be omissions, only for historical research reference.