All along the watchtowers: The diaolou of Kaiping I awoke to the sound of something heavy and metallic being dragged

Only one of the mines remains operational but the steam hauled railway which serves the small mining communities that grew up along its route is still running.

A shrill whistle splits the morning calm and echoes off the two enormous sandstone cliffs that shelter the little town of Bagou. A few moments later, in a cloud of smoke and steam, a train bursts out of a tunnel