New Taipei City Travel

“Production with the greatest efforts and put safety at the first place”
Houtong staretd started a large-scale mining business in the early days of Japanese domination. At the very beginning, the business was dominated by the Japanese Mitsui Group and, after the launch of Houtong Railway Station in 1920, a coal preparation plant was constructed on the east side of the station to classify coals and accelerate the coal production. Then the pits in Houtong area were leased by Li Chien-hsing, who then established “Ruisan Coal Preparation Plant”. In its heyday, the company sent over 500 miners into the pits each day. This turned the company into Taiwan’s biggest mining company, which was also recognized as the train engine that led Taiwan’s economy to take off.

Repair the old as the old: Relish the beauty of craftsmanship
Ruisan Coal Preparation Plant closed down in 1990; and, twenty some years after its buildings weathered and gradually collapsed, New Taipei City Government and the Ministry of Culture then collaborated to initiate a three-year relic repair project. Relying on carpenters’ exquisite craftsmanship and modern construction methods, the collapsed relic was repaired with the spirit of “repair the old as the old” to show its reminiscent elegance and charm. Apart from the Cultural and Historical Exhibition of the Mining Industry inside the building, the Plant also enable visitors to look through the historical memories of miners living in Houtong area based on various themes and from various perspectives. The multimedia image display and sound-light interactive technologies are also used to bring visitors a fun opportunity to lively experience the culture and history of the mining industry.