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Mining was a common occupation for individuals residing in China during the Ming Dynasty from 1368-1644 A.D. A miner was a person who extracted a variety of types of precious rock from the Earth. This occupation is a vital part to society, for example, as of 2019, China is the largest producer and consumer of coal on the entire globe. Mining is a predominant feature of many societies, both in the past and the present.

Coal mining
The most common mining performed during the Ming Dynasty was that of coal mining. Coal was used in a variety of activities, starting with its initial use as earrings for upper-class women. After its energy properties were discovered, coal was used to power fires that were mainly used for their warming properties in homes and other infrastructures. Coal was also used for more intricate endeavours such as experimentation with metallurgy, usually with iron, silver, and copper.

Other mining
Other metals such as silver and copper were also extremely predominant during the Ming Dynasty, but as far as an occupational approach goes, there is far more information and texts on coal mining during the Ming Dynasty (in regards a domestic point of view). Copper and Silver were much more involved in international trading and the world market. Furthermore, China increased their utilization of silver once the government reorganized their economic system to be based upon the value of silver.

Work techniques
There were many Chinese miners during the Ming Dynasty, most of them in the north and southwest China.The limited information on them informs us that the main path into this occupation is mainly a local phenomenon. Men and their families who lived within a short vicinity of a mine usually ended up becoming miners as if they were not already merchants or artisans, mining seemed to be the most convenient option.

Mining is primarily based upon heavy, manual labor by males. This includes squashing rock with hammers and loading minerals and metals into minecarts or other similar containers. Although simple, mining was an extremely dangerous profession. The long list of risks include developing diseases such as lung cancer and other lung related diseases as well as the physical risk of a mine collapsing on you.

The people in this occupation were mainly on par with that of farmers. Both lived in the countryside as that is where mines were located and many had very large families where mining would be the automatic occupation for children and every male in the family. Much of the actual materials mined such as silver and copper were sold to merchants to be sent off to trade, while other minerals such as coal were used for other industries that requires fire such as poetry; coal was also used as fuel for other furnaces and homes.

Mining was extremely important to Ming culture as it provided societal benefits of an increased standard of living by having coal act as a heating device for homes and luxury items such as jewelry and ornaments being created from exquisite, mined rocks; mining also provided economic benefits through increased world trade through these precious rocks and increased productivity via utilization of iron, silver, and copper tools. This was made possible by the day to day, ordinary workers who endured the harsh conditions set by mines in order to provide for the comfort and utility of others.