The Daye Iron Mine Museum stands at the entrance to the National Mine Park and offers the necessary context for making sense of what you will see at the pit. The exhibits trace the full arc of mineral extraction in this region — from Shang dynasty bronze-casting and the ancient copper mines at nearby Tonglushan through the Republican-era industrial operations and the full-scale mechanised mining of the Maoist period.
The ancient history section is the most compelling. The Daye-Tonglushan area has been supplying copper and iron to Chinese civilization for over three thousand years, and the museum makes this tangible with artifacts drawn from local archaeological sites. The displays on twentieth-century industrial production are less polished but interesting in their own right — this was a strategically critical facility during the first Five-Year Plans, and the museum reflects the political weight that was placed on its output.
The museum is free with park admission. Allow an hour before proceeding to the pit overlook.