It was established in 1883 by the Government of Qing Dynasty as the Gejiu Manufacture & Commercial Bureau (China Merchants).

[3] It owns two listed subsidiaries, Yunnan Tin Company Limited (SZSE: 000960) and Sino-Platinum Metals Company Limited (SSE: 600459).

[4] In 2016, China Construction Bank (CCB), a major Chinese lender, entered into a debt-for-equity swap agreement with Yunnan Tin Group.

[5] In 2013, chairman of Yunnan Tin, Lei Yi, had been charged by the Xi Jinping administration of corruption, specifically accepting bribes worth 20 million yuan or 3.3 million USD from Chinese government officials.

Among these officials was Li Hongtao, chairman of Leed International Education Group.