Benxi

關於Benxi

Benxi is a prefecture-level city located in the east of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, southeast of the provincial capital of Shenyang. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,326,018 (1,709,538 in 2010), of whom 809,655 lived in the built-up area made of 3 urban districts (Pingshan, Xihu and Mingshan). It was founded as a metallurgical center in 1915. Benxi Iron and Steel Company (Bengang) is the largest employer in the city, and used to be the fourth-largest steel company in China. The second-largest industry in Benxi is coal mining. The city has pollution problems due to steel production and coal mining.

There were people living in Benxi prefecture 400,000 years ago, indicated by Miaohou Mountain ruins with human fossils and stone tools explored in this region.

On April 26, 1942 in Benxihu Colliery a coal-dust explosion killed 1,549 miners, making it the worst disaster in the history of coal mining and the second worst recorded industrial accident in the world. The explosion sent flames bursting out of the mine shaft entrance. Miners' relatives rushed to the site but were denied entry by a cordon of Japanese guards who erected electric...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.