During the Qianlong period, Zhao Shian, the general manager of the Yunnan copper mines, shouldered the important task of minting imperial coins. He was walking on thin ice between the turbulent undercurrent of the mine, the heavy pressure of the court, and the life and death of 30,000 miners. When the imperial mandate of five thousand kilograms of special-grade copper is overwhelming, Zhao Shian must squeeze out every ounce of potential of this huge mine and find a way out in the depths of the copper sea.
