Coal Use and Transportation in Contemporary China

Abstract

In this chapter, I argue that three factors remain influential for railway and coal mine developments in contemporary China. They are policy inputs, rationalization exercises for enhancing greater coal mine efficiency and environmental priorities in economic development. The three factors reflect the contextual realities of growing affluence in China, a rising vocal middle class agitating for better living conditions and a shortage of energy. These realities necessitate continual emphasis on infrastructure upgrades, re-orientation of energy consumption and continued foreign imports of coal. I collected railway maps in my library and fieldwork research and classified them into two main categories: contemporary maps dated in the twenty-first century and early market reform-era maps published in the 1980s. I will analyze them selectively and chronologically in this chapter.