Ge is a silver- gray brittle metal with a content of about 0.0007% in the earth’s crust. It is a rare element and is a key material for the manufacture of infrared optical instruments. It was listed as one of 35 key minerals by the US Department of the Interior in 2018. China’s Ge reserves account for 41% of the world’s total, and its production accounts for 71% of the world’s total. It has a global influence similar to that of rare earths. The Yankuang area where the reserves of resources have been identified is mainly distributed in 14 provinces (autonomous regions) such as Inner Mongolia and Yunnan. About half of the identified reserves of strontium resources are associated with coal mines, and most of the others are associated with non- ferrous metal minerals such as lead- zinc ore. Ge can occur in various deposits of different eras, mainly including medium- low temperature hydrothermal polymetallic deposits, germanium- containing organic rock deposits and sedimentary transformation types. The former two types deposits are the main types, accounting for all the ore resources 64%. China’s high- grade germanium- containing coal mine is a rare high- quality resource in the world, but it has not been fully exploited. Internationally, it is mainly recovered from coal ash residues. In addition to recycling sputum in coal mines (such as Linchang coal mine in Yunnan and Wulantuga in Inner Mongolia), it is also recycled from non- ferrous metal smelters (such as Guangxi Dachang, Yunnan Huize).