Early Industrial Relics of Kailuan Tangshan Mine

Early Industrial Relics of Kailuan Tangshan Mine

Early Industrial Relics of Kailuan Tangshan Mine is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Early Industrial Relics of Kailuan Tangshan Mine

Standing in the 270-degree surround hall, towering and dense artificial trees are displayed all around. Suddenly, streaks of blue lightning slash down from above, followed by the slow descent of white curtains from the ceiling. The curtains project rolling waves, seemingly closing in on you. Vast stretches of trees begin to collapse, tumbling continuously in the surging waters, gradually becoming buried. At this point, the initial form of coal—lignite—is formed. The earth's crust begins intense movement, burying the lignite even deeper. In an environment devoid of air and subjected to long-term high temperature and pressure, the oxygen in the lignite is squeezed out, and the carbon content gradually increases. Over more than 200 million years, those once-tall trees have transformed into the black raw coal we see today…

If coal is the foundation of the Kailuan Museum, then the abundant industrial relics are its pride. It’s not only jade, calligraphy, and paintings that carry cultural significance. The railways, mine shafts, and locomotives that document China’s arduous modern industrialization also possess profound historical depth. Shouldn’t we, as a museum, reflect on how to broaden our cultural perspective?

In May 2013, the Early Industrial Relics of Kailuan Tangshan Mine were listed in the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Two rusted sections of railway track are relics from the opening of the Tangxu Railway in 1881—the starting point of China’s current over 70,000-kilometer railway network. A 5.7-meter-long black “Dragon” locomotive once sounded the first whistle in China’s railway transportation history. A thin old Kaiping stock certificate tells the story of the glory of Kailuan Coal Mine as one of the earliest joint-stock enterprises in modern China, and it is the oldest surviving stock certificate in the country to date…

“The museum houses over 40,000 historic archives, which can be described as a chronicle and living fossil of the development of China’s coal industry,” said Ma Changsheng, director of the Kailuan Museum. “In the second half of the 19th century, the Self-Strengthening Movement gave birth to China’s modern national industry. However, the industrial relics that reflect its developmental progress are rapidly disappearing. Kailuan has the responsibility to unearth and protect this part of history—it must not be left as a blank.” Fortunately, in early May this year, the “Early Industrial Relics of Kailuan Tangshan Mine” were elevated to National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Strolling along the museum’s 600-meter-long exhibition line, each hall tells the rich history and culture of Kailuan—how the Self-Strengthening Movement and the rise and development of China’s modern coal industry underwent arduous journeys, how a single Kailuan coal mine supported the growth of two cities, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao, how “they were especially good at fighting” embodies the spirit of Kailuan, what contributions Kailuan workers made in various historical periods such as early party building, the Five Mines Uprising, resisting Japanese and puppet oppression, supporting national construction, and earthquake relief efforts, and how the Kailuan Group has forged ahead since the reform and opening up to maintain the vitality of its century-old foundation…

Extended Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units