Silver is a precious metal with a long history of application, which has stable chemical properties, good thermal and electrical conductivity, is not easy to be corroded by chemicals, and is soft and malleable. China is one of the earliest countries in the world to develop and utilize silver mines. Once used as currency, the silver standard system was used until the Republic of China. Silver is also widely used in industry, mainly used in photography, electric power, power generation equipment, electronics, medicine, nuclear industry and aerospace, electroplating, catalysts, solder and handicrafts.

China is a country rich in silver resources. According to the World Mineral Resources Yearbook (Information Center of Ministry of Land and Resources, 20 14), by the end of 20 13, the world's silver reserves were 52× 104t, and China's was 4.3× 104t, accounting for 0.83% of the world's total. China silver mine has the following characteristics: First, its producing areas are widely distributed and its reserves are relatively concentrated. The silver deposits with proven reserves in China are distributed in 27 provinces (regions), but Jiangxi has the largest reserves, followed by Yunnan, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Hubei and Gansu. Second, there are differences in mineralization age intensity. The silver deposits in China were formed from Proterozoic to Mesozoic, but the largest number of silver deposits were formed in Yanshan period. Third, associated silver is rich in resources and has many producing areas. Except Ningxia, other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have associated silver producing areas, and the associated silver reserves account for more than half of the total reserves. Fourth, there are many poor minerals and few rich minerals, and most of the deposits are of low grade; Fifth, there are few large and medium-sized producing areas, accounting for about 95% of the total silver reserves. At present, the main mining objects of silver in China are large and medium-sized mining areas; Sixth, silver is associated with lead-zinc ore. In China, * * * silver ore is dominated by galena, accounting for more than 60% of silver reserves. Associated silver deposits are mainly produced in lead-zinc mines and copper mines. In addition, they are associated with tin ore, gold ore and polymetallic ore.

In view of the fact that most of the silver deposits in China are associated with other metal deposits, silver deposits with a scale greater than 100g/t are classified as silver deposits with independent economic significance. Therefore, it can be divided into six types: post-magmatic hydrothermal type (post-magmatic hydrothermal type, contact metasomatism type and migmatization type), volcanic-subvolcanic hydrothermal type (marine volcanic hydrothermal type, continental volcanic hydrothermal type and volcanic sedimentary type), metamorphic hydrothermal type, hot brine leaching type, sedimentary transformation type and sedimentary type, and each type can be divided into subclasses according to surrounding rocks and metallogenic environment. (Xu Enshou, et al.) The general outline of the temporal and spatial distribution of silver deposits in China is as follows: Paleozoic marine volcanic-sedimentary deposits and jet-sedimentary deposits are dominant in northwest China, Indosinian marine volcanic rocks, Himalayan porphyry deposits and red basin hydrothermal deposits are featured in Sanjiang area, and Yanshanian continental volcanic rocks and subvolcanic rocks, hydrothermal types and skarn types are the most prominent in eastern China.