The Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park () is a former
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
in
Ruifang District
Ruifang District () is a suburban district in eastern New Taipei City, Taiwan.
History
During Japanese rule, Ruifang was called , and was administered as part of of Taihoku Prefecture. Mining was an important industry in Ruifang (then kno ...
,
New Taipei
New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest s ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
History
The park used to be a coal mine in the region. The mine began operating in 1930 and was taken over by the Ruisan Mining Company in 1934. The mine closed in 1990. Both men and women worked at the mine until 1963.
Mine
The mine workings are 6 kilometers long and up to a half kilometer deep. The mine contains 300km of narrow gauge railway track. Due to its size and length of operation more coal was extracted from the Ruisan mine than any other mine in Taiwan. Due to the high temperatures underground the miners often wore little or no clothing.
Architecture
The park consists of various buildings built during the Japanese rule and coal-related structures, such as coal transportation bridge,
coal preparation plant
300px, A coal "washer" in Eastern Kentucky
A modern coal breaker in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania combines washing, crushing, grading, sorting, stockpiling, and shipping in one facility built into a stockpile of anthracite coal below a mountain top ...
, historical trail etc.
Transportation
The park is accessible within walking distance from
Houtong Station of
Taiwan Railways.
See also
*
Mining in Taiwan
Mining has been practiced in Taiwan for hundreds of years. Sulfur was an early important resource collected on the island. Coal mining expanded in the 19th century to keep up with demand from increased foreign trade. Heavy industry was further exp ...
References
{{commons category, Houtong Coalmine Ecological Park
Buildings and structures in New Taipei
Former coal mines in Taiwan
Tourist attractions in New Taipei