Historic Geological Find: China Announces Largest Low-Grade Gold Deposit in Liaoning Province, May Reshape Global Mining Map

China’s Ministry of Natural Resources announced today, Friday, the discovery of the first ultra-large, low-grade gold deposit in Liaoning province in the northeast of the country. This discovery is expected to redraw the global mining map.

Discovery Details and Strategic Reserve

Initial estimates indicate the enormous size of the "Dadonggou" deposit:

• Ore Quantity: It contains 2.586 billion tons of raw gold ore.

• Total Resources: Total gold resources amount to 1,444.49 tons (1.444 million kilograms).

• Grade Level: The average gold grade level is 0.56 grams per ton, indicating a low-grade but massive discovery in terms of total volume.

The Ministry stated, according to Xinhua News Agency, that this "historic discovery will significantly boost the country's strategic gold reserve." It is expected to contribute to creating a world-class gold production base to support comprehensive revitalization and high-quality development in the northeast of the country.

China's Reserves and Gold Usage

This announcement comes amid the continuous growth of China's gold reserves:

• Central Bank Reserves: China's official gold reserves reached 74.09 million ounces at the end of October, compared to 74.06 million ounces the previous month, after the People's Bank of China added gold to its reserves for the twelfth consecutive month.

• Value: The value of these precious metal reserves amounted to approximately $297.21 billion USD.

• Production and Consumption: China's gold consumption declined by 8% during the first nine months of 2025 (reaching 683 metric tons), while domestic raw gold production increased by 1.4% year-on-year to 272 tons.