THE GOLD TROOP

Established in 1979, the Gold Mining Unit is responsible for establishing and protecting gold mines.

When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the gold industry had an average annual output of less than 10 metric tons.

In 1974, Premier Zhou Enlai asked Vice-Premier Wang Zhen to find ways to boost gold reserves. In 1979 Wang decided to use military expertise.

The Gold Mining Unit was created by reassigning soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army.

The unit was given an initial mission to conduct a national survey and produce 150 tons of gold by the end of 1985.

That year saw the unit brought under the command of the People’s Armed Police Force and was overseen by the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry (now defunct) and the Ministry of Public Security.

From December, the unit was put under the joint charge of the Ministry of Land and Resources and the People’s Armed Police Force.

Besides gold, nonferrous metals such as copper and lead are also included in the unit’s mission and their target area is in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Tibet autonomous region, Qinghai province and the Greater Hinggan Mountains.

Their work includes geological surveys and disaster relief.

The unit’s headquarters are in Beijing.