Northwest Mining and Geology Group Co., Ltd for Nonferrous Metals (NWME) was founded in 1957 as a subordinate to the Ministry of Metallurgy. Its task is to prospect the mineral resources of non-ferrous metals in 5 provinces in northwest of China. At the beginning of 1970’s, it was managed by Shaanxi Province; In the end of 1970’s the Ministry of Metallurgy recovered the management of the Bureau. In 1982 it began to function as a branch of China Non-ferrous Metal Industrial General Corporation (CNNC) and in 2000 it again was designated as a subordinate of Shaanxi Provincial authorities.
        There are 12 teams under the bureau, such as 711, 712, 713, etc. Since its inception, the staff members of the Bureau have suffered numerous difficulties and hardships and made tremendous achievements in prospecting of metal mines. Especially, they have made great contributions to the economic growth of Shaanxi Province. Now the Bureau has developed itself into a powerful and comprehensive prospecting unit which integrates geological survey with physical and chemical exploration, measuring, test and analysis of mineral rocks as well as comprehensive research. It has scored many scientific research achievements in geological study which are influential in China.
        Of the 200-odd research projects completed by the Bureau, more than 50 ore-finding achievements have won first or second class awards from national, ministerial or provincial.
        It has set up a metallogenetic system in the Oinling Mountain, the metallogenic theory in the Qinling orogenic belt and the technical system of crystallographic analytical and evaluation abnormality.
        In the past 50 years we have discovered more than 30 kinds minerals in Shaanxi Province, evaluated and surveyed over 110 big and small deposits, provided 600 million tons of ferrous mineral reserves and nearly 100 million tons of non-ferrous mineral reserves, submitted over 1,000 geological reports of different nature and completed 200 research projects. In 1978 we won 7 national awards for the progress of science and technology and 48 ministerial and provincial awards in the same fields. 5 major bases of mineral resources of Mianxian-Lueyang-Ningqiang, Fengxian-Taibaai, Zhashui-Shanyang and Zhen’an-Xunyang have taken shape. 80% of the resources supplied by our Bureau have been developed and exploited. A group of key mining enterprises have been established, e.g. Lueyang Steel Mill, Hanjiang Steel Mill, Jianchaling Gold Mine, Qiantongshan Lead & Zinc Mine, Sifang Gold Mine, Shaanxi Silver Mine, etc.
        In the process of exploration and prospecting, we have cooperated with our partners in Japan, Australia, Canada, South Korea and Finland and with over 20 domestic geological organizations in China. Results of these cooperation efforts are satisfactory for both sides.
        Development of mining business is an extension of our Bureau’s geological exploration. In the past 20 years we have kept making progress in size, production capacity, management and environmental protection.
        Our engineering construction consists of 3 parts: oil drilling, engineering foundation investigation and core drilling. With over 100 drillers, we have an annual drilling capacity of over 300,000 meters and are able to dig more than 10,000 meters of galleries a year.

Leaders of the Bureau:

Director: Sun Feng
Party Secretary: Liu Zhonghua
Deputy Director: Jin Wanfeng, Wang Dongsheng, Xu Zhenping, Jiang Minghui
Vice Party Secretary (Secretary of Party Discipline and Chairman of Trade Union): Wu Chunhu