Abstract: This article examines coal mining and labor-management relations in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty from three different perspectives．First，the article considers the growth and decline of coal mines．During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries，there were more than 360 coal mines in Xishan，a suburb of Beijing． During the warfare of the Ming-Qing interregnum，the number of coal mines fell to about 170 in 1649，but gradually increased to nearly 270 by 1762．However，due to drainage problems，the number of coal mines fell to 185 in 1801 and 115 in 1886 and the supply of coal tightened．Realizing the gravity of this problem，emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing both ordered officials to lend money to merchants to dig drainage ditches to resume the operation of some mines，but the effectiveness of this measure was very limited．The second perspective is the management of coal mines．According to regulations，a mining license application had to be filed with the authorities before a mine could be opened．Rather than directly manage the mines most investors asked the applicants to oversee the mines or entrusted managers to employ foremen，miners and full-time workers to drain the mining pits．Miners’work was extremely hard，and exhaust devices were also installed to avoid gas poisoning．Third，there were contractors similar to labor resource companies，who built the so-called guohuo，a combination of dormitory and canteen，to provide accommodation for miners and hydraulic workers．Because many of the miners were unreasonably held in captivity in the guohuo，the Qing court launched several crackdowns on unlawful practices and promulgated regulations on the management of guohuo and miners in 1822．Even so， similar situations still existed at the end of the nineteenth century．