Walking at the station (12): Houtong, the cat's paradise, the miner's hell

Have you ever imagined your life after retirement? For me, it is nothing more than getting up lazily, taking a leisurely morning run, having a leisurely breakfast, and then indulging in reading, gardening, shrimp fishing and other hobbies all day, and camping in the suburbs once a week.

However, in Houtong, there are a group of old men in their 70s and 80s who never stop to retire. Each of them pays 3,600 yuan per month as an old man's annuity to set up a museum of literature and history, telling them about the days when they "did not see the light of day". What kind of experience is worth sacrificing Qingfu, and they insist on telling the story?

They are a group of old miners of the last generation. They established the " Houtong Miners Culture and History Museum" by themselves next to the entrance of the Ruisanben Mine, which is ten minutes away from Houtong Station. The owner, the Li family, rents it and spends his old age pension; the land is renovated by himself, and the house is renovated by himself, relying on their old age and little leftover energy; the miners' tools, mine map, Life photos, historical materials, and newspaper clippings were searched by them everywhere.

Zhou Chaonan, the former mine manager of Ruisan Coal Mine, expressed their thoughts to reporters:

I am not willing to let the old miners wither one by one and gradually be forgotten by the society. Since no one cares, I will save history by myself!

Indeed, in the past, coal was required for everything from running trains to generating electricity in power plants, which can be said to be the driving force behind Taiwan's economic miracle. However, since the 1990s, the coal industry has gradually declined, and the old miners had to change their careers, but most of them died because of occupational injury silicosis. Mobilize to set up this museum of literature and history to pass on this memory.

Brother Xu, who guided us, was also one of the last miners. As soon as my wife and I walked into the Museum of Literature and History, he took the initiative to turn on the air conditioner and patiently explained to us.

On the left-hand side of the yard, there is a photo of a miner working sideways in a coal mine. Brother Xu told us that most people think that the underground is very cool, but it is actually very hot, with a temperature of over 40 degrees, so the miners almost work naked. Now that we are standing in the air-conditioning, it is really difficult to understand the feeling of being in an airtight high temperature environment, but as long as I think of the old small oven in my house, the stainless steel inner layer has been smoked black; if I shrink Ten times, it was locked in the oven, and the switch was turned on to heat, which should be almost the feeling of the miners in the photo.

Although the high temperature is uncomfortable, it will not be fatal. The most terrible thing is the explosion. On July 7, 1969, a coal dust explosion accident occurred in Ruisan Coal Mine, killing 37 people.

Once an explosion occurs, even if the miners in the pit are not directly affected, the large amount of carbon monoxide produced by the explosion is enough to kill. Brother Xu picked up a portable life-saving device like a military silver water bottle hanging on the shelf - CO self-rescue breathing apparatus , and explained its principle and usage. When the explosion occurred, the miner immediately opened the cap of the respirator, clamped the nostrils with clips, and inhaled with his mouth facing the hole of the respirator. The chemical in the bottle could filter carbon monoxide and last for 40 minutes, so as to gain escape time for the miners. .

Brother Xu took us to the showcase where female miners were introduced, and after looking at the training certificates and identification cards of female miners, we realized that there were also many women who had to step into the ground due to family finances and lived a life of despair. day. However, it was not until 1964 that the government stipulated that women could not enter the pit, and they had to give up this income and work outside the pit as a handyman with less than half of the income.

I originally thought that the rule that women were not allowed to enter the pit was based on some kind of taboo regarding women as unclean, but I didn't expect that Brother Xu's words woke me up——

Have you ever thought about it? If the couple entered the pit at the same time and died in an accident, who would take care of the family?

It can be seen that the risk of miners is so high that even the government has to help these families plan their way out in advance. Brother Xu said that they would gather at the entrance to smoke every morning before entering the pit. Everyone frowned or forced a smile, fearing that this would be the last cigarette in their lives; Congratulations, and smoke another rebirth cigarette. But even if they are lucky enough not to encounter a catastrophe, most of them will suffer from silicosis in the future. Many people die before the age of 50. Those who survive will suffer from silicosis for life and need to inhale pure oxygen regularly to survive.

Fortunately, Brother Xu was the last generation of miners. Soon after the work, the mine closed down and made a living, with little physical damage. But remembering that the elders and colleagues in the family lost their lives in order to carry the family, which made him very sad.

The coal dug up by their lives has promoted the development of the national economy, but their stories were forgotten by the world when the coal industry fell behind. Nine out of ten tourists who came to Houtong today came to see cats, not coal. Brother Xu said this with emotion.

After saying goodbye to Brother Xu, we came to the " Fuxing Mine Mouth " on the other side of the Keelung River. This area is even more deserted, and tourists have disappeared. Whether it is a coal tunnel, a diesel engine garage, a carpentry workshop, a rolling machine room, a sand drying room, etc., the original appearance of the building and the traces of residual equipment are still preserved.

At the end, an old three-story cement building appeared in front of you. This is the " Mine Office ". Coal transport tracks can be vaguely seen in front of it. The pit next to the office is the mouth of the Fuxing Mine.

Although the pit has been sealed with bricks, but looking through the small square hole above, you will find that the pit seems to have collapsed, the earth and rocks occupy half of the tunnel, and an abandoned minecart is full of falling rocks.

However, what makes my scalp numb the most is the pitch-dark tunnel that gradually penetrates from the ground to the ground - how much psychological pressure do miners have to overcome every morning before they have the courage to step into the bottomless, as if the road to hell? With every meter you go, you are getting farther and farther away from bright sunlight, fresh air, lovely family members, and precious lives...

The "Fu'an Palace" not far from the entrance of the tunnel, the miners call it "The Land Master of Destiny ". Before entering the pit, they always come here to pay their respects, symbolizing the deposit of their lives here. Take it back again. In their words:

 When you enter the pit, your life belongs to the owner of the land; when you leave the pit, your life belongs to you.