Shanxi mine disaster casts shadow over province’s shift from coal to culture
Deadly explosion reveals the hurdles facing the mining hub as it tries to tap into greener sectors such as tourism
Shanxi, China’s top coal-producing province, has attempted to rebrand from a polluting, high-risk mining hub into a cultural and tourist destination. However, the country’s deadliest mining accident in nearly two decades has cast a shadow over this image.
A day before the accident, provincial leaders announced at a meeting about Shanxi’s next five-year development plan that the province would “steadily and in an orderly manner advance its transformation and development”.
Shanxi Governor Lu Dongliang said the province would accelerate its energy transition, promote the upgrading of traditional industries, and foster emerging and future industries tailored to local conditions.
Shanxi, which holds roughly a quarter of China’s total coal reserves, has long played a vital role in fuelling the country’s industrialisation and economic rise.