Into blackness: Taiwan's mining history at risk of being forgotten

Time can wash away many things. But for Taiwan's coal miners, time has never taken away the memories of their now dismantled industry; their proud contribution to the nation's economy, the constant hazard of their profession and the black lung disease that is now killing many.

But time many soon wash away this, too.

Take a trip to Taipei's Pingshi village, where New Pingshi Coal Mining Corp (新平溪煤礦) is located. The mine carts are now overgrown with weeds and wild flowers. The giant coal washer has rusted and the factory building leaks. Farmers now grow flowers and vegetables on the site.

In fact, New Pingshi remains well-kept by comparison. In Ruifang (瑞芳), Shiti (石底) or Sanshia (三峽), where pits were closed and covered over, it is hard to recognize that a flourishing industry even existed. In just the past five years, these sites have all but vanished.

Wang Kuo-wei (王國緯), 65, works as a guide at the new privately established Keelung Mine Industry History Museum (基隆礦業史料館). Having worked as a coal miner for more than 30 years, his favorite topic is his memories of having to work in the dark, from 5am to 3pm. "After work, having washed off all the black, we liked to have a small drink or eat crushed ice. During the weekends we might do a bit of gambling. That was about all our entertainment. We had a very simple life," Wang said. "But we had our glory days."

In the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwan had more than 400 coal mines and more than 60,000 miners working in the pits every day producing some five million tonnes annually. Half the coal was used in power plants and the other half for export. "Our history can be traced back to 1875, when British ships came to Keelung port requesting coal for fuel," said Wang, citing a book called Keelung Coal History, published by the Keelung City Government.

Taiwan's coal miners were especially hard workers. The mine veins run deep, around 400m underground. The narrow pits were dug between fragile sandstone. Miners worked lying down, constantly alert of collapse, or any spark that might trigger an explosion. "The temperature there is 40C and humidity is 90 percent; many of us worked naked," Wang said.

The thickness of Taiwan's mining seams is less than a meter on average, making it hard to use large machines to excavate the mines. It depended heavily on labor, which raised the cost. In 1984, there were three major explosions that killed a total of 180 miners. That, combined with the coal's high cost (around three times higher than imported coal), caused Taiwan's coal industry to wither in the late 1980s. In 2000, when Lifong Coal Mine Corp stopped production, the 100-year-old industry came to a close in Taiwan.

"We are now running against time," said Shueh Li-ni (薛麗妮), director of the Keelung Culture Preservation Association, which established the small Keelung Mine Industry History Museum.

"The old miners are gradually falling, and the history and culture might soon be forgotten. Thanks to Mr Lin, we now have a small place to display these historical pieces," Shueh said.

Lin Tsai-sheng (林再生) has devoted 50 of his 77 years to the coal mining industry. He collects and and has donated to the museum mine equipment and tools, pictures and books, maps and periodicals, related to Taiwan's mines. The museum consists of two display rooms with three long tables and some bookshelves to display the pieces. The setting is simple and crude. Without a guide, one is easily confused by the display.