Industry in Shanxi is centered around heavy industries such as coal and chemical production, power generation, and metal refining.

Many private corporations joint with the state-owned mining corporations have invested billions of dollars in the Mining Industry of Shanxi Province. Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing has made one of his largest investment ever in China on exploiting coal gas in Shanxi. Foreign investors include mining companies from British Columbia (CA), Alberta (CA), Colorado (US), Texas (US), Japan, Britain, Germany and Italy.

The mining related companies include Daqin Railway Co. Ltd., which runs one of the busiest and most technologically advanced railway in China connecting Datong and Qinhuangdao and exclusively for coal shipping. The revenue of Daqin Railway Co. Ltd. is among the highest in Shanxi Province's companies due to its exporting of coal to Japan, Korea, and South-East Asia.

Shanxi is infamous for bad working conditions in coal mining and other heavy industries. Cases of child labour abuse were discovered recently.

Wangjialing Coal Mine

Shanxi Province's Wangjialing Coal Mine, sitting astride Xiangning County of Linfen City and Hejin City of Yuncheng City, covers about 180 square kilometers.

The mining zone boasts more than 2.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves, including nearly 1.04 billion tonnes of proved reserves, according to the company's official website.

It is now under infrastructure construction and is expected to produce 6 million tonnes of coal annually once put into operation.

The mine, affiliated to the state-owned Huajin Coking Coal Co. Ltd., is a major project approved by the provincial government.