Endowed with rich natural resources and diverse specialties, Tongling has long been praised with the folk saying: "Small as Tongling is, it boasts all eight treasures."

The city features a wide variety of mineral deposits of high grade and considerable reserves, and it is world-famous for its copper mines. Its agriculture focuses on grain and cash crops. Major grain crops include rice and wheat, while cash crops come in numerous varieties, among which ramie, ginger, garlic and Ting beans enjoy a long-standing reputation.

Tongling abounds in aquatic resources, home to nearly every fish species native to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, inland rivers and lakes. The most valuable varieties include shad, sturgeon, eel and loach. The region also yields soft-shelled turtles, tortoises, crabs, shrimp and freshwater mussels in large quantities. Rare aquatic and reptile species here encompass the Yangtze finless porpoise, Chinese alligator, finless porpoise and Chinese pangolin.

Tongling Fengdan peony bark has a profound history. Qianlong Era Tongling County Annals records: "The county produces ginger, garlic, ramie, moutan bark and the like. Some locals engage in trade with these goods, yet most merchants selling them are outsiders." This proves Fengdan was already widely known and sold across the country in that era.

Appraised by the Horticulture Institute of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tongling ginger falls into the white ginger and row ginger category. Fresh ginger tubers are pale off-white with a faint yellow tint, shaped like Buddha’s hands with plump, thick segments. The fleshy buds are full, tender white and juicy, delivering a spicy yet mild taste, making it a multi-purpose edible ingredient. Tongling ginger has earned lasting fame for its large tubers, thin skin, abundant juice, minimal fibrous residue, crisp tender flesh and rich aromatic flavour.

Shortened to Wild Sparrow Tongue Tea, this historic green tea is well-known across Anhui Province and the whole nation. After tasting it, Emperor Qianlong hailed it as "a superior tea south of the Yangtze River".

Tingzhou soybeans are a superior local cultivar unique to Tongling, originally named Flat-top Yellow, divided into two strains: Large Flat-top Yellow and Small Flat-top Yellow. Their protein contents reach 47.87% and 47.31% respectively, 19.7% and 18.3% higher than ordinary soybean varieties. Their fat contents stand at 18.46% and 17.5%, slightly lower than regular soybeans