Xinpingxi Coal Mine Museum Park Introduction
The Pingxi Line railway, constructed for coal mining 100 years ago, was once the main coal-producing area in Taiwan. The New Pingxi Coal Mine established a museum in the former mining area in 2003, which has been operated as a local cultural center designated by the Council for Cultural Affairs. It is committed to issues such as heritage preservation, local regeneration, cultural pathways, and international exchange. The New Pingxi Coal Mine held mining rights until 2019 and has a complete collection of extraction blueprints and tunnel data in addition to the mining facilities. The electrified railway system "One-Eyed Monk," set up due to coal production, is still operational today and testifies to the early railway electrification system in Taiwan. Starting in 2019, the park began participating in the National Development Council's local regeneration program and has recently assisted in promoting the cultural pathway program for mining heritage. Recent developments include: 1. In 2016 and 2023, the museum entered into friendship agreements with the Coal History Museum of Tagawa City, Japan, and the kushiro City Museum, culminating in a joint friendship agreement signed by the three museums in April 2024. 2. From 2017 to 2018, the project "Preservation and Utilization of New Pingxi Coal Mine Industrial Cultural Heritage" was conducted in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Bureau; the current museum tour route aligns with the historical coal mining production activities, serving as an excellent example of preserving mining culture and reusability. 3. In 2019, the park participated in the National Development Council's Pingxi local regeneration program and executed the "Cultural Environment Building Plan for Local Regeneration" in 2022, which included various local regeneration activities and significantly attracted visitors, establishing it as an important local regeneration platform for the Pingxi area. 4. In 2021 and 2022, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Pingxi Line railway, the park successfully hosted the "Pingxi Railway centennial and Coal Mine Culture Exhibition," organizing numerous events that combined local features and resources. 5. In January 2024, the park hosted the annual meeting of the "All Coal Museum Research Association" from Japan for the first time, along with the "Taiwan-Japan Joint Forum," discussing "East Asian Coal Mining Cultural Pathways and Their Social Significance." 6. In December 2024, the museum applied for the registration of historical buildings with the New Taipei City Cultural Bureau to preserve the only systematically intact coal mine in Taiwan; ten structures including horizontal tunnels, mine entrances, measurement rooms, rail systems, tipples, coal unloading hoppers, washing fields, coal bins, unloading compartments, and specialized railroads were approved and announced. 7. In January 2025, the park, together with the friendly museum, the Kushiro City Museum in Hokkaido, YunTech University, and the Taipei Representative Office in Belgium, held a symposium titled "Reflection on the International Mining Culture Pathways," viewing the preservation and interpretation of international mining culture from the perspectives of miners, ecologists, and artists. 8. In August 2025, the park participated in the International Mining Culture Exchange Roundtable Meeting organized by the Belgian Pavilion at the Osaka Expo, featuring speakers from Japan, Taiwan, and Belgium, discussing the coal mining industry that once symbolized the cornerstone of industrial modernization in Europe and Asia.
Xinpingxi Park Small Train Ride
Xinpingxi Coal Mine Entrance
