The much-anticipated Gold Museum, a project personally championed by the provincial party secretary, is scheduled to welcome its first visitors on September 19. The announcement was made during a press conference held by the Jilin Provincial Government Information Office on September 8, where officials from the Jilin City Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau confirmed the opening date.

Located in Jiapigou Town, Huadian City, Jilin Province, the museum broke ground in August 2025 with an initial phase investment of 164 million yuan, covering a building area of 9,566 square meters. The project has been a priority for Jilin Provincial Party Secretary Huang Qiang, who conducted multiple on-site inspections in December 2024, October 2025, and May 2026, and even promoted the museum during the National People's Congress sessions in 2026, highlighting the site's 200-year mining heritage and its rich patriotic narratives.

The Jiapigou Gold Mine, whose gold extraction history can be traced back to 1820, has maintained continuous production for over two centuries, making it one of the oldest existing gold mines in China. The region holds deep historical significance, particularly through the story of the "Han Bian Wai," a local armed force from the late Qing Dynasty that defended the border alongside the patriotic official Wu Dacheng. During the First Sino-Japanese War, over 7,000 soldiers from this force volunteered for battle, yet only 16 survived to return home in 1897.

Following the September 18 Incident in 1931, Japanese invaders occupied Jiapigou in 1934, subjecting countless miners to immense suffering while plundering valuable mineral resources. In 1938, General Yang Jingyu led the Anti-Japanese United Army to Jiapigou, where leaders including Wang Xiaoming, Zhou Baozhong, and Wei Zhenmin successively conducted resistance operations. Wei Zhenmin ultimately gave his life on this very soil.

In 1945, the 19th Brigade of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army arrived in Jiapigou and established the Jiapigou Gold Mine Bureau, marking the birth of New China's first mechanized non-ferrous metal mine. In December 2005, China Gold Group fully acquired the property rights of the Jiapigou Gold Mine, and in September 2006, it was officially designated as "China's No. 1 Gold Mine" by the China Gold Association. The original mine entrance will be transformed into a 680-meter immersive historical exhibition zone.

The driving force behind this cultural project has been unwavering. In September 2024, Secretary Huang Qiang visited Jiapigou Mining Company, urging China Gold Group and Jilin City to collaborate closely in fulfilling the mission of "China's No. 1 Gold Mine." By December 2024, he had formally proposed the joint development of the gold museum with China Gold Group, emphasizing its role as a patriotic education base. Construction commenced in August 2025, with the museum designed as a structure featuring one underground level and four above-ground floors, with the main exhibitions spanning floors one through three across eight thematic chapters.

During his October 2025 inspection in Huadian City, Huang Qiang paid tribute at the memorial site of Wei Zhenmin, laying flowers and bowing in reverence beneath the ancient tree where the martyr made his ultimate sacrifice. He also stressed the importance of utilizing three-dimensional digital parallel models for construction, coordinating mine tunnel exhibition designs, venue layouts, and consumer promotion efforts to ensure timely, high-quality completion.

At an open group activity of the Jilin delegation on March 7, 2026, Huang Qiang confirmed to reporters that the museum was on track for completion that year, reiterating the site's two-century mining legacy and the patriotic stories embedded within it. By May 2026, the main structure had been completed, with finishing touches and exhibition installation underway. During his final inspection, Huang Qiang emphasized a philosophy of "light renovation, heavy exhibition," directing that primary efforts be channeled into collecting cultural relics and enriching display content, with particular focus on vividly narrating the historical tales of Wu Dacheng and the "Han Bian Wai" jointly resisting foreign invasions, thereby promoting national spirit and igniting patriotic fervor.