Enter the Coal Town

Enter the Coal Town
Pingxi Line is a branch of the railroad, was built for transporting the coal mine, located in New Taipei City ,Pingxi District. On 1997, when the cost of Taiwan's coal no more had competition in the international market , the industry became a history and the railroad faced to be closed . In the meanwhile ,the writers, painters ,and photographers remains numerous beautiful scenery, culture and the memories of miners. Since people started to say good-by and everything happened in the blink of an eye, they saw that it is a Taiwan's coal mine natural museum.
We took a train of Pingxi Line to Sandiauling station and started to go hiking over the hills which produced coal mine ever. The miners almost moved out the mine areas rarely the senior living in torn up houses ,they liked somebody to come here but back to the routine peace soon and the school and office were given up, just some brick walls on the base to tell that the glory had died down.
The railroad was built along Keelong River through the tunnels to carry full of tourists instead of loading the coal mine. People cheer up the mountain view ,they never to understand the work of mining industry was hard and dangerous unless visiting the Taiwan Coal Mine Museum in Shinfen.
Walking on the old street of Shinfen is crowed and noisy ,there are filled with Japanese ,Korean ,Hong kong and local tourists to admire the special coal town and to taste the famous Taiwanese foods, the Coal Town is making a Tour Spotlight.
進入煤鄉
平溪線是一條鐵路支線，位於新北市平溪區，建來運輸煤礦產。1997年當台灣的煤開採成本在國際市場上不再具有競爭力時，這個產業走入歷史，運煤鐵路也面臨關閉。此時，作家、畫家和攝影家留下許多美景、文化及礦工回憶的作品。人們因此開始去道別，轉瞬間奇妙的事發生了，大家看見這裡是台灣煤礦業的自然博物館。
我們搭了平溪線的火車來到三貂嶺站，開始健行越過曾經產煤的幾個山頭。礦工們幾乎都搬出礦區，祇剩很少的年長者居住在老舊的房舍𥚃，他們喜歡看到有人經過這裡，但很快又回到往常的安靜坐息。這裡的學校和行政管理部門被廢棄了，僅留下一些基座上的磚牆訴說消退的過往繁華。
鐵路沿著基隆河建築穿過山洞，帶來滿滿的觀光客取代了往昔載運的煤礦產，人們歡呼美麗的山景，卻對礦業的艱苦危險不瞭解，除非到十分去拜訪台灣煤礦博物館。
走在十分的古老街上，擁擠又喧鬧，街上充滿著日本，韓國，香港和本地遊客，他們欣賞煤鄉的特色也品嚐台灣著名的小吃，煤鄉正形成旅遊亮點。