On May 2, a Tibetan woman in Sichuan province’s Heishui county carries components of cryptocurrency mining machines that were sent from the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. Such machines are now being deactivated following China’s recent ban on cryptocurrency mining. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

In Sichuan, villagers who live near mining centers install mining computers one after another, earning between 100 yuan ($15.40) and 200 yuan a day. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Village children take a break on the plastic foam packaging that was used to transport the mining machines. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A woman examines a cryptocurrency mining machine. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A maintenance worker sits next to a wall of mining equipment. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

In Xinjiang, two maintenance workers monitor mining machines on their computers. They are tasked with making sure the temperature of the machines is optimal for mining and repairing any machine that breaks down. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

In Sichuan, a guard at one of the centers incinerates the extra packaging from the machines on June 20. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

On June 19, employees of one cryptocurrency mining company gather at a local restaurant in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in Sichuan as the firm was shut down that night. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Villagers load a truck with the removed mining machines on June 21. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Employees leave a mining center on June 19 following its closure. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

In Sichuan, most mining centers are built near high-voltage power substations or next to hydropower plants. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A mining center at the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture burns the midnight oil as it takes advantage of the region’s abundant hydropower during the rainy season. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Unlike in Sichuan, mining centers in Xinjiang are usually located at industrial parks close to power sources or deep in the desert. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin