TAIYUAN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- With deft clicks of the mouse, Fan Zhihui draws lines, matches colors, and switches between different design programs. After a few minutes, a 3D model of mining equipment appears on his screen.
Once a coal miner, Fan has abandoned the shovel and swapped his hard hat for a laptop.
Fan, 29, worked at Fengyu Coal Mine in north China's coal-rich Shanxi Province before he was recruited as an animator two years ago.
Fan, who studied computer science at a technical school before becoming a miner, only needed one week of training to switch from his coal mining job to his new role as an animator.
"I have learned a lot from experienced colleagues in the new company and developed my own skills," he said.
The animation and Virtual Reality (VR) company, affiliated with Fengyu Coal Mine, creates products used in mining safety training and education.
The sales volume of the company registered 10.18 million yuan (about 1.6 million U.S. dollars) last year, with a profit exceeding 1 million yuan. Its customers include hundreds of companies across the country.
Fan's career change is representative of the province's industrial transformation, aimed at fighting overcapacity and pollution.
Shanxi closed 52 mines and reduced almost 50 million tonnes of outdated coal production capacity in the past two years, resulting in layoffs for about 40,000 mine workers.
Of the 81 employees at the company where Fan works, almost 50 are former Fengyu mine workers.
"Animation is not a new industry in China, but few animation companies specialize in mining," said Lyu Jun, general manager of the company.
This year, 36 mines, including Fengyu, will be completely shut down, according to the provincial coal industry authorities.
While Shanxi transforms its economy to decouple growth from the traditional coal mining industry, former mine workers are seeking and creating new jobs.
Zhu Haijun is the general manager of Ruifulai vinegar company, a project of the Shigejie Coal Mine, which closed in 2016. The company uses traditional manufacturing technology. With Spring Festival approaching, sales by Zhu's company have gone through the roof.
"In the past, one batch of product was shipped to Beijing every two to three months, but now we send three batches a month," Zhu said.
"Miners who are careful and hard-working can also be good vinegar makers," he said.
