THE MINERS MOVE ON.
On 24 September 2021, China's National Development and Reform Commission published Notice 1283, a nationwide directive against cryptocurrency mining. Dated 3 September and issued with ten other departments, it prohibited new projects and called for existing operations to leave the industry in an orderly way.
The crackdown was already reshaping mining months earlier. On 21 May, the State Council's Financial Stability and Development Committee called for action against Bitcoin mining and trading. Sichuan's energy regulator followed with an 18 June notice ordering generators to stop supplying mining operations, part of the earlier wave of restrictions.
The September notice joined energy policy to financial regulation. Authorities cited electricity consumption, carbon emissions and financial risks, while directing local governments to identify mining sites, monitor abnormal power use and remove policy support. It established a detailed national framework for closing mining projects after the earlier interventions.
Cambridge researchers recorded a 38% fall in global Bitcoin hashrate during June, followed by a partial rebound in July and August. They interpreted that recovery as evidence that some equipment had been redeployed overseas. By August, their estimates placed the United States first, with Kazakhstan and Russia among the largest mining centres.
The illustrated worker packing a machine makes this geographic upheaval tangible. These are imagined people and premises, representing the labour behind relocation. Later Cambridge data also indicated substantial covert mining within China. THE MINERS MOVE ON captures an industry changing its map, rather than a claim that every miner left.
Sources & the artist’s interpretation
Sources: NDRC Notice 1283, September 2021 ; NDRC mining notice explanation, September 2021 ; State Council directive, May 2021 ; Sichuan power restrictions, June 2021 ; Cambridge mining map, October 2021 ; Cambridge mining follow-up, May 2022 ; China ICO restrictions, September 2017 . The warehouse, workers and shipment are imagined. Notice 1283 carries its 3 September signed date; 24 September marks publication. The month labels recall earlier restrictions. The blank tag identifies no destination. The caption is editorial, and the scene implies no named operator or endorsement.
