Today, we were exploring the area above Jiufen, which once belonged to the former Benshan Shaft No. 3 mining complex. After decades of mining activity, these shafts have almost completely disappeared, and the topography has changed considerably due to typhoons and collapses. However, the underground network was much more complex than one might imagine, consisting of main shafts, secondary shafts, ventilation tunnels, and connecting shafts. Therefore, there is often still a chance of finding something. Another interesting feature of this area is that gold and coal mining overlapped. Some of the tunnels and facilities were even used for both, although at different times. Today, we were lucky. We started at the temple and made our way uphill. Just above the temple, three small secondary shafts are easy to find, but they are sealed off with steel grilles. They also appear extremely narrow, with no noticeable air circulation remaining.
So we continued our search, following an old, overgrown path until we reached a plateau. The remains there suggest that a settlement once stood at this location. So, we kept looking.
A few hundred metres farther on, we could make out the topographical remains of an industrial facility, particularly the route of a former railway track. From there, finding the entrance was relatively easy.
We didn’t really expect much, but then came a pleasant surprise: parts of the old station are still there. And then we discovered a remarkably well-preserved, long mine tunnel.
At the entrance, we encountered a warning about oxygen deficiency. Contrary to our expectations, the air actually improved as we went farther inside, although the tunnel was heavily flooded and filled with deep mud. A cold draught suggested that parts of the original ventilation system were still functioning. After approximately 50 metres, we reached a junction and a ventilation shaft. Without proper equipment, we decided not to venture any farther.
We then continued searching the hillside above the tunnel and found numerous pieces of coal, as well as a fairly large electrical insulator. Although almost nothing remains visible today, this must once have been a large mining settlement with many houses.
