The Kaiping Mines (开平煤矿 "Kaiping Coal Mine") was one of the first modern mining companies in

Zhili Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It was founded by

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese statesman, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in importan ...

and production began in 1881. During this period of the mines (1881-1912) at times the annual coal production reached 1,400,000 tons. One of the principals was Zhou Xuexi and the chief engineer was

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

. During the course of the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

, to protect them from foreign occupation, and with the cooperation of Hoover and British financial interests, the mines passed to the Anglo-Belgian Chinese Engineering & Mining Company. The

Luanzhou Luanzhou (), formerly Luan County (), is a county-level city in the east of Hebei province, China. It is under the administration of Tangshan city. The city spans an area of about , and, as of 2024, has a population of 518,900. The city's economy i ...

(Lanchou, Lanchow) Mining Company was formed in 1908 under

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

to pressure the British to come to terms and return the mines to Chinese control. However the Chinese Engineering & Mining Company emerged on top during the ensuing price war and in 1912 the two companies would agree to the formation of the Kailan (Kailuan) Mining Administration to manage the mines on behalf of both companies. The Kailan Mines were seen by Matsunaga Yasuzaemon in 1918. Today it's called Kailuan Group.

References

{{Portal, China, Energy, Companies Coal companies of China Non-renewable resource companies established in 1877 Companies based in Tianjin Defunct manufacturing companies of China Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 1912 1912 disestablishments in China Chinese companies established in 1877