Over the past two years, the Wanjiang Economic Belt in Anhui Province has added eight new large- and medium-sized metal ore deposits, with an additional 1.04 million tons of copper, 23 tons of gold, 1.88 million tons of lead and zinc, and 75,000 tons of tungsten, laying a solid foundation for breakthroughs in mineral exploration during the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

　　The administrative jurisdiction of the Wanjiang Economic Belt encompasses the entire territories of eight cities—Hefei, Wuhu, Ma'anshan, Tongling, Anqing, Chizhou, Chuzhou, and Xuancheng—as well as the Jin'an District, Yu'an District, and Shucheng County of Lu'an City, totaling 59 counties (cities and districts). The region covers an area of 75,800 square kilometers.

　　The "Geological Survey Report Supporting the Development of the Wanjiang Economic Belt (2017)," jointly released by the Anhui Provincial Government and the China Geological Survey, indicates that the preliminary exploration of the Chating Copper Mine in Xuancheng has estimated copper reserves of 1.66 million tons, along with associated and coexisting metal reserves totaling 238 tons. The deposit is classified as large-scale and represents a classic example of mineral exploration beneath red beds, loose strata, and thrust sheets. In the Zhaojikou area of Dongzhi County, newly discovered lead-zinc reserves amount to 120,000 tons (bringing the cumulative total to 630,000 tons), shifting the region’s previous focus from gold exploration to a more diversified approach. In the Huahua Mountain area of Tongling County, a new type of ore-forming system has been identified, yielding lead-zinc reserves of 420,000 tons; this deposit is expected to reach large-scale dimensions. Several large- and medium-sized tungsten deposits have also been reported, including the Xiaoyao Tungsten Mine in Jixi County and the Zhuxiling Tungsten-Silver Polymetallic Deposit in Ningguo City, bringing the total tungsten resources in southern Anhui to 400,000 tons and positioning the region as a potential new base for tungsten resource development. Furthermore, a medium-sized uranium deposit has been identified within the Luchong iron-copper integrated exploration area. Notably, rare-earth mineral resources have been newly discovered in the Dabie Mountains region, filling a gap in the geological record for this type of deposit within the Dabie Mountain metallogenic belt.