Hunan Province

Hunan — China's mineral heartland

Hunan Province is the single most productive region in China for collectable mineral specimens. From the world-class fluorite of Yaogangxian and Xianghualing in the south, to the acicular stibnite of Lengshuijiang in the central belt, to the polymetallic Sn-W deposits in Chenzhou prefecture, Hunan has set the modern global standard for what "Chinese mineral specimens" means.

Why Hunan dominates

Hunan sits within the Nanling tungsten-tin metallogenic belt, one of the world's richest W-Sn mineralized zones. The province's combination of granitic intrusions, Paleozoic carbonates, and hydrothermal activity has produced an unusually wide variety of skarn, hydrothermal vein, and replacement-style deposits — each yielding well-formed crystallized specimens.

Signature localities within Hunan

• Yaogangxian W-Sn ore field — fluorite (purple phantom, twin, mint green), wolframite, cassiterite, calcite
• Xianghualing Sn-polymetallic ore field — world-class green octahedral fluorite, "mushroom-form" stepped growths
• Shangbao Mine, Chenzhou — purple-phantom and color-zoned cubic fluorite
• Lengshuijiang (Xikuangshan) — the world's largest antimony deposit, source of benchmark stibnite
• Xianghuapu Mine — fluorite, scheelite (distinct from Xianghualing)

Collector value

Hunan production peaked across the 1990s–2010s; many classic pockets are now exhausted or operate at restricted output. Specimens with documented Hunan provenance and intact matrix continue to appreciate in collector markets. We source directly from Hunan partners we have worked with for years.

From our inventory

Hunan accounts for the majority of our Chinese fluorite, stibnite, and Sn-W combination specimens. Browse Yaogangxian, Xianghualing, Shangbao, and Lengshuijiang sub-pages for locality-specific pieces.