Struggles of a Shanxi coal mine owner in bleak industry winter

Chen stays in his office past midnight, contemplating the trouble his finances are causing him. In 2015, many coal companies were swamped. Hidili Industry International Development Limited, the biggest privately-owned coal mining company in Sichuan, has reportedly defaulted on its $183 million debt. China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, the nation's biggest coal producer by volume, has seen a 40 percent salary cut. With even the bigger players in a bind, small fish find it even harder to keep it together in the industry's long night.[Photo/IC]