rogerm531

2018-04-07 11:55:37

I wanted a break from Temples and Monasteries, so this seemed a good option. It's only a short taxi ride from most of the downtown area. When I was there, it was hard to find the entrance because there was a large market area set up in front of the building. I finally located the ticket office off to the right of the tent area. As a retired engineer, I found it very interesting and well worth my time (about 2 hrs). The tour is escorted, but with a recorded narration for each individual. A child should find the 4D movie fun, but would be bored stiff with the "above ground" portion of the program, which shows first how coal is formed, followed by displays about the history of coal mining in China. The third section has a model of a modern mine and shows the many ways coal is used today. A ride down in an elevator takes you "underground" into a "mine" to see the development of mining techniques through a series of life-size dioramas and examples of actual equipment from ancient picks and shovels to the automated machines of the present day. Very dark! Note: this is a museum, not an actual mine. For that you'll need to go to Datong.After the coal exhibit, there was a display of (reproduction) Chinese murals. This was included in the entrance fee, but didn't do anything for me.

JeffreyL422

2017-12-27 20:40:55

Since we were on an early afternoon flight, we had only one attraction to visit in Taiyuan, the Coal Museum of China [中國煤炭博物館]. We had thought that a museum dedicated to coal would be boring but it wasn't at all. The highlights of the visit were the 4D theater about the geological formation of coal and the visit to a coal mine replica, complete with miner's hat for all of us. An exhibition hall of ancient Chinese mural paintings adjoins the museum in the same building. My mom and I thoroughly enjoyed this museum.