Hakka Coal Mine Museum


Nanfu Village (南富村) in Nanzhuang Township (南庄鄉), Miaoli County, has been an important coal mining town in Taiwan since the time of Japanese rule (1895-1945). After the mid-1980s, due to the decline of the mining industry, the entire village became economically depressed. However, today the village still retains many remnants and history related to mining. The elders in the village who are around 80 years old still have memories of what life was like working as miners in the past.


Chang Rong-fu (
張榮福), who used to be a miner in his youth, collects many tools that were used in the mines in the early years, such as pickaxes, telephones, lunch boxes, masks, safety helmets, oil lamps, gas lamps, trolleys, and cables, which are old things not easy to find now. The collection of nearly 300 pieces is not only his treasure, but also a microcosm of the history of the development of the Nanzhuang’s coal mines. Looking at the old cultural relics and listening to the stories behind Chang Rong-fu's narration, time seems to have returned to the way Nanzhuang was half a century ago.

Hakka Coal Mine Museum in Miaoli
(Photo: 謝禮仲(CC BY 3.0 TW +)

Chang’s hobby of collecting old relics started at the age of 30. A Hakka son, he began collecting traditional Hakka cultural relics, including various farm tools such as ancient raincoats made out of straw, ox yokes, as well as porcelain, stoneware and other utensils used in daily living. Chang Fu-rong has so many old things in his hands that he can't even count them. In order to bring these cultural relics back to life, he invested his life savings and found a 1,000-square-meter land in the Nanpu area of Nanzhuang, and built a two-story, 60-square-meter cultural museum, establishing a Hakka mining life experience center to showcase the mining industry as well as traditional Hakka cultural relics.

Because of his large collection, many organizers of Hakka-related activities will also borrow cultural relics from him. The cultural relics in the museum are placed in an orderly manner. After listening to his ingenious introductions of the items on display, visitors to the museum can understand the role these cultural relics played in Hakka life. Chang also shares his life experience. He pointed out that the collection of cultural relics is his spiritual sustenance. He does not want these Hakka cultural relics to be discarded or lost. The establishment of this experience hall is to fulfill his promise to the original owners of these cultural relics. He wants to share these historically significant items so that more people will know the important roles they played in the old days and what life was like back then.