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Just fill in your email and we will help you reset your password. Like many other cities in this area of Heilongjiang province, Shuangyashan was born from coal. Outside, dozens of children would sled up and down the layer of ice that covered the roads. In the cold air, their cheers and laughter would resonate between the buildings, only dissipating when their parents returned from the mines at the end of the day.
The smoke rising from chimneys was a sign for the children to head home for warm family dinners. The mining railway is the longest of its kind in the country.
Those were the days when mining was an enviable occupation. The job of a miner was a hard one, but it was stable and put food on the table. The same cannot be said now. Coal is dying a slow death, and it is taking cities like Shuangyashan with it. Here are the stories of four young graduates from the College of Coal.
Their lives tell the story of a fading city, a dying industry, and a volatile economy. Zhang Tianqi was born in to an ordinary mining family. Zhang Tianqi stands in the aisle of a commuter train that takes miners to and from the mining area, Jan. Surrounded by young men like himself, his life revolved around three things: playing sports, joking with friends, and chasing after girls. Never afraid to jump into the fray when fights between groups of students broke out, Zhang was held in high esteem by his cohorts.
