Xinjiang mining town digs for new identity

Few towns have had so many ups and downs as Keketuohai, home to 6,000 people in the scenic Altai mountains of northern Xinjiang.

It earned national fame when ore from nearby mines was used to make China's first atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and Dong Fang Hong, the country's first satellite.

Years of mining yielded raw materials for industry, but also left deep scars. Mining was suspended in 2002, and Keketuohai was on its way to becoming a ghost town.

In 2013, the town was selected by the central government for a trial mine reclamation program.

About 3.12 billion yuan has been earmarked and some 1.3 billion yuan spent on the project, said Shen Zhi, an official with the regional environment protection department, in a recent interview.

In the last three years, the reclamation program has included cementing underground structures to prevent floods and landslides, reforestation in mountains, and improving the environment around tributaries of the Irtyush River, which flows through Kazakhstan and Russia.

Parks, bridges, roads and other tourist infrastructure have been built. "Keketuohai's past may be golden with glory, but its future has to be green, with a better environment," said Shen.

GOLDEN PAST

Hader, 84, is a retired miner of Kazakh ethnicity. He started working at Keketuohai at the age of 18. The old man often recounts the golden days of the town's mining boom.

"In the 1950s, I worked with more than 1,500 miners at the same pit. We had an airfield, a hospital and even a school. The infrastructure was probably the best in Xinjiang," Hader said.

Hader's son Kumash and grandson Ganati also went on to become miners.

"The good times lasted for decades, and it was not until the 1990s that people began to leave Keketuohai," said Hader.

When mining was suspended in 2002, Kumash sought another job as a bus driver, and Ganati landed a job at a processing plant for tailings.

"The current times cannot compare with my grandfather's day, or my father's. The ores are decreasing, and I'm thinking of switching jobs, preferably to tourism," said 29-year-old Ganati.

TOURIST BOOM

Surrounded by mountains and tributaries of the Irtyush River, Keketuohai is growing as a tourist destination. Hikers, photographers, wilderness lovers and gem buyers have poured into town. Tourists also come to see the huge Third Minefield.

Last year, the town received 1.61 million tourists, about 30 percent growth year on year. Tourist spending was 1.3 billion yuan.

Now at least one-sixth of the population works in tourism, and per capita income is 30,000 yuan per year.

Kushtar, 36, has just left the mining business and found a job as a bus driver for tourists.

"I grew up hearing the roaring of the mining equipment, but now it's quieter and greener," he said.