Chen stays in his office past midnight, contemplating the trouble his finances are causing him. In 2015, many coal companies were swamped. Hidili Industry International Development Limited, the biggest privately-owned coal mining company in Sichuan, has reportedly defaulted on its $183 million debt. China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, the nation's biggest coal producer by volume, has seen a 40 percent salary cut. With even the bigger players in a bind, small fish find it even harder to keep it together in the industry's long night.[Photo/IC]