·建于1878年的开平矿务局天津办事处

        在洋务运动中,直隶总督兼北洋大臣李鸿章,在办理军事工业的同时,也兴办民用工业。筹谋在华北开采煤矿,就是洋务派兴办民用工业的重要项目。清光绪二年(1876),李鸿章派轮船招商局总办唐廷枢赴直隶 (今河北)开平一带堪察矿情。唐廷枢堪察后奏报说: “此地铁石随山根而生,连绵四五十里……取之无穷。”
        唐廷枢 (1832—1892),字景星,广东香山(今中山市)人。香港马礼逊学堂肄业; 咸丰元年 (1851)至咸丰七年 (1857),任香港巡礼厅和大审判院译员; 咸丰八年(1858)任职上海海关,曾任总翻译; 咸丰十一年(1861)任怡和洋行买办,两年后,接任该行总买办; 同时任上海茶叶公所和丝业公所董事; 同治十一年(1872)入股怡和轮船公司,并任董事; 转年,受李鸿章委派为轮船招商局总办; 光绪二年(1876),受命堪察开平矿情;转年,任开平矿务局督办,筹办该局。
        开平煤矿起初原拟官办,因清政府财政支绌,才改为官督商办。光绪三年(1877)九月,筹办中的开平矿务局拟定了招商章程十二条。转年,也就是光绪四年(1878)六月二十五日,李鸿章命唐廷枢在天津正式创办开平矿务局,局址设在海大道 (今大沽路)。它所经营的开平煤矿,就是现在开滦煤矿的一个组成部分。这是我国最早使用机器开采的一个大型煤矿。
        开平煤矿位于今河北省唐山市滦县的开平镇西南,早在明代,当地人民就已开采。开平矿务局建立后,奏请清政府批准,在开平周围十里以内,不准民间再行开采; 同时得到减轻原煤出口税的优待。
        开平煤矿是中国最早的现代化股份制企业之一。矿务局成立的当年,计划招股80万两,实际上招到了20余万两; 光绪六年(1880),筹集到30万两; 到光绪七年(1881)开始出煤以后,投资者大增,仅在上海便筹集私人股金100多万两,官僚盛宣怀也收买矿务局股票二百五六十股。私人投资的增加,使开平股票价格不断上涨。
        开平煤矿雇用英国人巴赖为矿师,从国外购买机器,用新式方法开采。先开唐山煤矿,接着又开林西煤矿。光绪七年(1881),开始出煤。产量质量逐年提高。《津门杂记》记载: “仿洋法以机器开掘煤矿,所出煤斤,极为精美,可与洋煤并驾齐驱。价值又廉,销路又广。况章程颇善,机器甚精。”
        开平矿务局又在东沽、天津、上海、烟台、香港、广东建筑码头,制造轮船。而且又开新河达天津铁路一条,规模大廓,气象一新,运煤之火轮车络绎于途,萧瑟荒村,成为大市落。
        为了运输方便,在开平运煤河,每隔10里建桥一座,共修建了10座桥梁,由唐廷枢观察确定,由李鸿章定名。
        开平矿务局所产原煤,除了首先供给李鸿章管辖的北洋水师、天津机器局、轮船招商局,以及上海江南制造局等用煤之外,还大量投放市场,兼顾内地民间用煤,获利较多。它是洋务运动中全国新式矿业中规模较大、办得有成效的一个,并为天津等新式工业的发展,提供了燃料资源; 甲午战争之前,洋务派所办的新式煤矿大都失败了,只有开平矿务局维持下来。
        由于开平煤矿蕴藏丰富,煤质优良,利润丰厚,一直为外国侵略者所觊觎。光绪二十六年(1900),庚子事变期间,曾于光绪二十五年(1899)来到天津、任开平煤矿工程师、并是墨林公司在华代表的胡佛(1929～1933年,美国第三十一任总统) ,勾结德璀琳,用 “移交契约”一纸空文,从开平煤矿督办张翼手中,骗取了开平煤矿及其下属的唐山细棉土厂。开平煤矿被英商所骗占。
        光绪三十三年(1907),周学熙开办了官督商办的滦州煤矿公司,并在1912年(民国元年)6月1日,开平与滦州两矿合并合同,在天津正式签字; 7月1日,在天津成立了中英合办的开滦矿务总局。并收回唐山细棉土厂,开办了唐山启新洋灰公司。
        During the Westernization Movement,Li Hongzhang,Governor-General of Zhili and the Beiyang Minister,not only initiated military industries but also launchedcivil business. One of the civil business projects wasto exploit mines in the North of China. In 1876,LiHongzhang sent Tang Tingshu,head of Tianjin ChinaMerchants Steam Navigation Company,to Kaiping inZhili for survey. After the survey,Tang reported to Lithat "iron ore was enormous along the mountains forabout 40-50 li".
        Tang (1832-1892),also named Jingxing,was bornin Xiangshan (now Zhongshan city) of GuangdongProvince and graduated from Hong Kong MorrisonSchool. From 1851-1857,he served as an interpreterfor Hong Kong Ciruit and Supreme Court; chiefinterpreter for Shanghai Customs in 1858;comprador ofYihe Yanghang in 1861; the director of Yihe ShippingCompany in 1872; chief comprador of Yihe Yanghangin 1863; the director of Shanghai Tea Company and SilkCompany in 1873; head of Shipping Investment InvitingBureau; chief surveyer of Kaiping Coal Mine Bureau in1876; and Director of Kaiping Coal Mining Bureau in1877.
        The Kaiping Coal Mine was first run by thegovernment and then changed into commercial operationunder the supervision of the government due to moneyshortage in Qing Dynasty. In September 1877,thepreparatory Kaiping Coal Mining Bureau drew out 12rules for investment. On June 25,1878,Li Hongzhangappointed Tang Tingshu to launch the Kaiping CoalMining Bureau,located at Zaihai Street (Dagu Road).The Kaiping Coal Mine was part of today`s KailuanCoal Mine. The coal mine was the first large collierydug by machinery in China.
        The Kaiping Coal Mine was located in the south-west of Kaiping Township,Luanxian County,Tangshanin Hebei Province. Local people began to dig coalin Ming Dynasty. With the approval from the QingGovernment,the Kaiping Coal Mining Bureau had gotthe exclusive right of exploration. At the same time,local residents were not allowed to dig coal any longerand the bureau was also exempted from export taxation.
        The Kaiping Coal Mine was the first moderncorporate enterprise in Chinese history. In the year of itsestablishment,it had planned to raise 800,000 taels ofsilver but actually raised 200,000 taels. In 1880,it raisedanother 300,000 taels of fund. After the coal mine wentinto operation in 1881,more investors joined in. Forexample,investment from Shanghai surpassed 1 milliontaels and businessman Sheng Xuanhuai bought someshares of the mine. The increasing private investmentraised the price of Kaiping stocks.

        

·滦州矿股票

        The Kaiping Coal Mining Bureau hired a technicianfrom the UK. It also bought machines from abroadto dig coal. In 1881,coal was unearthed from the pit.According to the Tianjin Annals,"the quality of thecoal unearthed is as good as imported coal but its priceis cheaper. Both the management and equipment of thebureau was good."
        Moreover,the Kaiping Coal Mining Bureau builtports and manufactured ships in Donggu,Tianjin,Shanghai,Yantai,Hong Kong and Guangdong. It alsodug a canal to Tianjin and built a railway from themine to the ports. For the efficiency of transportation,10 bridges were built on the river. The location of thebridges was decided by Tang Tingshu and the bridgeswere named by Li Hongzhang.
        The raw coal produced by the colliery was mainlysold to the Beiyang Navy,the Tianjin MachineryBureau,the Shipping Investment Inviting Bureau ofTianjin and Shanghai. At the same time,large quantityof coal was sold to the public to make great money tothe bureau. It was one of the successful and profitablemines at that time during the westernization movement. Itprovided natural resources to the industrial developmentin Tianjin. Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895,nearly all the mines but Kaiping Coal Mine got bankruptand closed.
        For many years,foreign invaders had coveted thecoal mine for its fine quality of coal and large quantityin deposit. During the Gengzi Event in 1900,HerbertHoover,who became the 31st President of the UnitedStates later,conspired with Dertring to get the coal mineof Kaiping and its affiliated cement factory through a"Takeover Agreement" from Zhang Yi,the then directorof Kaiping Coal Mine. The colliery was diddled bythe British businessmen. Hoover arrived in Tianjinin 1899 as an engineer of Kaiping Coal Mine and therepresentative of Volink Company in China.
        In 1907,Zhou Xuexi initiated the Luanzhou CoalMine Company under the supervision of the government.On June 1,1912,the Kaiping and Luanzhou Coal Minesreached an agreement of merger in Tianjin. On July 1,the Kailuan Coal Mining Bureau was co-established byChina and Britain in Tianjin. The Tangshan Cement Plantwas bought back and Tangshan Qixin Lime Factory was established.

        

·原开滦矿务局大楼