China began Friday construction of
the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau, known as the roof of the world. And it is
the first railway in Tibet.
Opening
ceremonies were held respectively at the railway's
starting point, Golmud in Qinghai Province, and
the terminal, Lhasa in Tibet, Friday morning.
The two sites for the opening ceremony
were decorated with auspicious Tibetan designs,
colorful buntings, flags and balloons. The sound of gongs
and drums resounded in the air. Tens of thousands
of people of Han, Tibetan and other ethnic groups
cheered and clapped.
Jiang
Zemin, general secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese
President, sent a congratulatory letter to mark
the opening of the project.
Jiang said in
the message that the construction of the rail was a major
decision of the CPC Central Committee. It will benefit the
economic and social development of Tibet and China's western
region, and promote the unity and common
prosperity among different ethnic groups.
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji announced the start of
construction project at a ceremony held in Golmud,
a major city in northwest China's Qinghai
Province.
Zhu said that construction of
the Qinghai-Tibet Railway reflects the aspiration
of China's late leaders and railway constructors.
And it is the common desire of the Tibetan people.
"The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which runs
through the 'roof of the world', is an unprecedented project
in the history of humankind," he added.
The railway starts at Golmud in
Qinghai Province and terminates at Lhasa in Tibet with a
total length of 1,118 km. It will be the longest
and most elevated railway built on highlands in the world.
It will be the first railway in Tibet.
As
early as the 1950s, late CPC chairman Mao Zedong and other
senior Chinese leaders endorsed the construction
of the Qinghai- Tibet Railway. The central government of
China officially approved the gigantic project in western
China early this year.
Some 100 lamas from
the Zhebung Monastery of Tibet attended today's
opening ceremony. Ngagwang Qoinzin, 35, said, "This is
a project of boundless beneficence."
Qoinpe, a 60-year-old resident of Lhasa, said,
"I got up at four in the morning today. I
became unable to sleep when I thought of the
project."
People living along the
railway line are pinning high hopes on the
project. Decog, a Tibetan girl in Qinghai Province, said,
"I am very excited to attend the opening
ceremony on behalf of my fellow
villagers."
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway
is a key project in China's Tenth Five-Year Plan
(2001-2005) period and one of the four major
projects to be built in western China.
Representatives of the 10 construction teams,
selected from 32 bidders, also attended the
ceremony in Golmud.
Xia Xianfang, a senior
engineer of the No.1 Survey and Designing
Institute under the Ministry of Railways, said, "We are
capable of reducing the effects of construction on
the local environment to the minimum. Every inch
of grass will be protected. "
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China Begins Building Qinghai-Tibet Railway (2001.06.30 )
2004-03-09 13:05
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