This dataset has been constructed through classifying the results of 168 exploration projects under the title of Ore-Prospecting Surrounding and Beneath the Old Mines Program. It features data on funds, workload, and results of the Program. The funds comprises the financial investments from the central government, the local governments, and the mining companies; the workload depicts that of drilling, tunnel drilling, and trenching, while the results of the Program include newly-added mineral resources reserves volumes of 168 exploration projects, extended mine service lives, and increased number of long-term employees (related information of uranium mine is not listed). All data are of real investment and actually finished workload; the results of the Program have been ratified or recorded by the national and provincial mineral reserves examining authorities, which are all of reliable quality and published for sharing and ready for download. This dataset can reflect the inputs of mineral resources exploration and the status quo of geological prospecting towards the mines in China in recent years. It provides basic data not only for analyzing the present situation of mineral resources in China, but also for decision-making of exploring mineral resources in China in the future.