China is rich in coal storage with a wide distribution range and various kinds. According to sources of Chinese second-time prediction on coalfields, the total coal storage hidden within 1000 meters beneath the earth reaches 26 thousand billion tons. The resource storage hits 24.5 thousand billion tons in the north to the line of Dabieshan-Qinling-Kunlun Mountains, making up 94 percent of the total storage in China; the coal storage in the south to this line only represents 6 percent. The storage in the four provinces or autonomous regions, namely Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province and Shaanxi Province, accounted for 81.3 percent in the whole country. The coal storage in the three provinces in Northeast China makes up 1.6 percent; the seven provinces in East China 2.8 percent and nine provinces in the south of the Yangtse River 1.6 percent.

China has a variety of coal resources. In the detected storage, softsoft coal accounts for 75 percent; anthracite for 12 percent and wood coal for 13 percent. Among these, raw coal makes 27 percent, and power coal 73 percent. The power coal storage mainly distributes in North China and Northwest China, which respectively accounts for 46 percent and 38 percent in the whole country. Coking coal is mainly centralized in North China, and anthracite mainly in Shanxi Province and Guizhou Province.

Generally speaking, Chinese coal enjoys good quality. In detected coal storage, the super low ash coal with ash content lower than 10 percent makes up over 20 percent. Low sulfur coal with sulfur content lower than 1 percent accounts for about 65-70 percent, and that with 1-2 percent of sulfur content for 15-20 percent. The high sulfur coal mainly distributes in Southwest China and Central China. East China and North China see more low sulfur coal in upper coal layers but more high sulfur coal in lower layers.

China is a country with the most coal output and the highest development speed in the world. Its annual coal production was 32.43 million tons in 1949; and 42.92 million tons in 1950, 397 million tons in 1960, 354 million tons in 1970, and 620 million tons in 1980. Its annual coal output exceeded 1 billion tons in 1990 and hit 1.361 billion tons in 1995. The annual coal output increased to 1.396 billion tons in 1996,setting up a record of the highest annual coal output in the world, and accounting for 30 percent of the world total coal output, 4.607 billion tons. Affected by the Asian Financial Crisis and economic structrure adjustment, the coal production reduced to 1.373 billion tons in 1997. China's coal distribution is in highly asymmetry. In 1997, the coal yield in nine provinces and autonomous regions exceeded 50 million tons. Among them, Shanxi Province ranked the first with 338.40 million tons, accounting for one fourth of that in the whole country; the following were Henan Province (105.20 million tons), Shandong Province (90.90million tons), Heilongjiang Province (85.20 million tons), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (83.00 million tons), Hebei Province (78.80 million tons), Guizhou Province (66.00 million tons), Sichuan Province (62.20 million tons), and Liaoning Province (58.80 million tons). The annual coal output in two provinces approximated 50 million tons, of which Shaanxi Province reached 49.50 million tons and Anhui Province 49.00 million tons. The annual coal yield in the 11 provinces and autonomous regions totaled 1.067 billion tons, making up 77.7 percent of that in the whole country. The rest 17 provinces and autonomous regions only saw 305.8 million tons, accounting for 22.3 percent in the whole country.