Large-scale gold mineralization during the Early Cretaceous is identified in the Jiao-dong Peninsula of China.Sources of ore-forming fluids remain debated.We study the Qilishan gold deposit in the northwestern Jiaodong Peninsula with detailed mineralogical observation and in-situ sulfur isotope analyses,in order to reveal the gold occurrence and the origin of ore-forming fluids.The Qilishan gold deposit is mainly clastic altered rock-type in mineralization,and ore minerals are visible native gold,electrum,pyrite,chalcopyrite and galena,gangue minerals as quartz,sericite and calcite.The gold occurrence includes inclusion and intergranular types,formed within pyrites and chalcopy-rites and along their fissures.In-situ sulfur isotope analysis of gold-bearing sulfides suggests that the Qilishan deposit is enriched in heavy sulfur,with δ34S values mainly from+8.0‰ to+12.0％o.δ34S val-ues increase gradually with the fluid evolution from the early to late stages,which is interpreted to be related to the loss of sulfur via sulfide precipitation.The crystallization of sulfides from hydrothermal fluids may have triggered the instability of Au(HS)2,and finally led to gold precipitation.Combined with sulfur isotope compositions of other gold deposits(n=43)and wall-rocks in the Jiaodong Peninsu-la,it is proposed that the ore-forming fluids were probably not directly originated from metamorphic wall-rocks(e.g.,Jiaodong Group).Moreover,the relatively long time interval rules out the possibility that the gold mineralization(ca.120 Ma)was associated with granitic magma activities(mostly 160-150 Ma).Possible ore genesis scenario is that,long-term subduction of slabs(e.g.,the Paleo-Pacific)with gold-enriched pyritic materials and crustal sedimentary rocks resulted in both high Au contents and positive δ34S values of sulfur in the lithospheric mantle below the North China Craton.Subse-quently,devolatilization of the metasomatized mantle produced auriferous fluids that migrated up-ward along translithospheric fault systems,and gold finally precipitated in favorable structural posi-tions,generating the world-class Jiaodong deposits in the Early Cretaceous.