Coal mining in Xuanhua, a major county in Hebei Province of China, has been one of the dominant industries in the area since the late 19th century. Located close to Beijing, the capital of China, Xuanhua is home to some of the oldest and most productive coal mines in the country. Xuanhua has been the economic and cultural center of the Hebei Province since its establishment in 1911, as it has become the hub of minerals production in the region.
Today, Xuanhua still proudly boasts a number of large, active coal mining operations. The main coal mining companies in the area include China National Coal Group (CNCC), which employs over 10,000 people and operates over 15 coal mines in the region. Xuanhua also boasts a number of smaller-scale mines which provide locally important jobs and are a major source of coke, a key component of steel-making.
The coal mines of Xuanhua are uniquely situated in both a geographical and political sense. For example, Xuanhua’s terminal location on the Beijing-Kowloon railway line gives it unique access to both the markets of Beijing and its surrounding provinces, as well as to the larger international markets in the south of the country.
Perhaps one of the most important features of Xuanhua coal mining is its extraction methods. The majority of the mines use underground mining techniques, meaning that environmental damage caused by opencast mining is minimised. In addition, the mines are expertly managed and use modern machinery to keep working conditions safe and efficient.
The coals that are mined in Xuanhua are mostly coking coal, which has a range of uses in the steel-making industry. Thus, by supplying a number of leading steel firms in the country with high-quality coking coal, Xuanhua coal mining has become an important cornerstone of the Chinese economy.
Remarkably, the rich deposits of coal that lie beneath Xuanhua have been mined for over 200 years. During the late 19th century, many small coal mines were established in the area, with a large number of foreign enterprises setting up operations in the county. By the early 20th century, Xuanhua was firmly established as one of the major coal mining regions in China.
Today, Xuanhua is still regarded as one of the foremost coal mining centers in the country. Although the influence of coal mining on the local economy has weakened with the move to more industrialized modes of energy production, the industry is still the focus of economic life in the county. As such, Xuanhua coal mining plays an important part in the continuing economic development of Hebei Province.
