Last September, just five days after Beijing announced a crackdown on local governments investing in illegal coal mines, about 190 officials in central Shanxi province admitted to having invested about $2.5 million in illegal mines. For years, China's rapid economic growth has been fueled by cheap and "dirty" coal from rural areas such as Shanxi, creating an environmental and social catastrophe.

The system of feeding the growth of China's urban coastal areas at the expense of the interior rural regions also could threaten the country's stability, as the environmental damage destroys the livelihoods of the country's farmers. Reform-oriented leaders in Beijing are trying to break the nexus of business and official corruption that allows the mines to flourish, but the going has not been easy.

"There has always been a coalition between businessmen and government officials here," says professor Tian Quzhen, who directs Shanxi's mine safety team. In many ways, the region resembles the American Wild West. "If you want to be rich, go to Shanxi -- the land is full of black gold and fortune," goes an old Chinese saying.

In Xia Shigou, a small village of 3,000 about 40 miles north of Shanxi's capital Taiyuan, there are six huge, illegal coal mines. From a distance, the view of the village is blocked by a thick, yellow fog of dust and coal fumes. A faded poster by the expressway from Taiyuan that reads "Protecting the environment is protecting your life" is nearly illegible under the gray soot that covers it. Big trucks carrying coal pass by without bothering to cover their illegal cargo.

The village itself is ringed by crude refineries where the coal is filtered, stored, and sold. Some families live next to their kilns, and everyone in the area is covered with coal dust. Although the current crackdown has shut two mines outside Xia Shigou, locals fear they will reopen soon.

The local Xia Shi River, which used to be the main source of water in this generally arid area, has run dry. Without water, no farming can be done. And as the underground water has seeped away, the land has dried and cracked, which in turn has damaged most of the village's homes. A large sign saying "Developing the rural economy" is painted on one of the homes, but its foundations were damaged by the land's warping.

Illegal mining also has taken a huge toll on the health of local people. Many suffer injuries and respiratory diseases, such as tuberculosis and lung cancer, according to Chang Tianfu, 72, who served as one of China's famous "barefoot doctors" in the 1950s. "When I was the doctor here 40 years ago, people were poor but healthy," says Chang. "We're still poor and without even our health. Not many people in this village will live as long as me."

WuNan is a reporter for the The Economic Observer in Beijing. She will begin pursuing her master's degree in the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism this fall.