"During the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, Shanxi's economy faced great difficulties. In the international financial crisis in 2009, Shanxi was the slowest growing regional economy in China," he said.

Moreover, Liu said the resource-based economy exerts great pressure on safe mining, while wealth generated through the extensive exploitation has not benefited ordinary people financially in the province.

"I'm pleased that we have begun looking for a breakthrough and striving to turn the resource-based economy toward the road of sustainable development."

A spokesman for the Jinhuagong Coalmine, which is based in Datong city of Shanxi, said the leadership of his coalmine shares a common understanding with policymakers.

"Since 2000, we have realized that 50 million reserve tons of the Jinhuagong Coalmine will be depleted in the 2020s. We must think what our 8,000 workers will do for a living afterward."

He said the company began developing tourism services in 2003, when it welcomed people to an underground adventure tour.

The company later built a village to showcase folk culture and this year laid the foundation for China's first coalmine museum, he said.