Minister on Building of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Editor's Note:Sun Yongfu is now vice-minister of railways. In 1962, when he graduated from the Department of Bridges and Tunnels of the Changsha Railway Institute of Hunan Province, he was assigned to work in the Zhengzhou Railway Bureau. In a survey of the bearing capacity of railway bridges, he examined bridges one by one from Zhengzhou in Henan Province to Wuhan in Hubei Province. On this basis, he produced the studies that made him famous and led to his promotion as one of the senior technical personnel. In the ensuing years, he participated in construction of a number of railways, including the Sichuan-Guizhou, Guizhou-Kunming, Chengdu-Kunming and Hunan-Guizhou lines. He also participated in the China-aided construction of the railway between Tanzania and Zambia. In 1984, Sun was promoted to be vice-minister of railways and was put in charge of national planning and construction. He presided over the construction of some 10,000 km of trunk line, including the Beijing-Kowloon, Datong-Qinhuangdao, Nanning-Kunming and Hengyang-Guangzhou railways. In early 2001, Premier Zhu Rongji proposed Sun to be the deputy head of the leading group for the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, taking charge of the routine work. In the document Premier Zhu signed, Sun was allowed to enjoy treatment due to a minister (instead of a vice-minister). On June 29, 2001, when the inauguration ceremony for construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was held in Lhasa, Vice-Premier Wu Bangguo told all present: "He [Sun] is the commander-in-chief in charge of construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway!" In the following five years, Sun visited the highlands dozens of times. Under his care, the builders paid special attention to environmental protection while building the railway which is a wonder of the world in terms of elevation and length. During the period, he made further progress in academic field and eventually was accepted as a Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) at the end of 2005.

On the morning of April 21, this writer interviewed Vice-Minister Sun in a small meeting room on the third floor of the main office building of the Ministry of Railways. Present on the occasion were Liu Xinke, Deputy Director of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Office, and Liang Chenggu, senior official in the ministry's news department.

Leafing through a copy of China's Tibet I had presented him, he told me he had copies of the magazine published from 1991. When he learned I came from Hunan Province, he said the Director of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Office was also a Hunanese. The interview proceeded in a friendly and light atmosphere.

Establishment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Project

Lhasa Liuwo Bridge. Photo by Gan Zhanglin

Extending the railway to Lhasa has always on our work agenda. After the CPC Central Committee and the State Council held the Third National Conference on Work in Tibet, the Railway Ministry speeded up its preparations. Which route should be taken was a question discussed first in 1978, although no results emerged.

Efforts began to choose routes in 1996. The first route considered was the line stretching from southern Xinjiang (Hetian-Ngari) to Lhasa, but as it had to pass through many difficult areas, it was discarded. The four other routes considered stretched to Lhasa from Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

In 1998 a consensus was reached to build the railway from Qinghai to Tibet after a comparative study indicated its superiority over the alternative Gansu-Tibet route. Both would have to pass through the plateau and cope with permafrost. But, the one from Gansu to Tibet would extend more than 2,000 km while the one from Qinghai (Golmud) to Lhasa was only 1,100 km long. A line from Sichuan and Yunnan to Tibet would not have been a bad option. At that time, the Yunnan-Tibet railway had reached Dali, but that still left 1,600 km to reach Lhasa. The line from Sichuan to Lhasa would also extend some 2,000 km; comparatively speaking, the Yunnan-Tibet line was better than Sichuan-Tibet.

In 1999, we began to survey the Qinghai-Tibet line and the Yunnan-Tibet routes. In July 2000, I went from Xining in Qinghai to Golmud and then on to Lhasa, and found the route offered more advantageous conditions for construction of the railway leading to Lhasa. I reported this to the Railway Ministry Party Committee and won approval. I then sent a letter to Premier Zhu Rongji, who was glad to see my proposal. Vice-Premiers Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao and Li Lanqing also talked to me. I told them that the problems expected to emerge during construction, such as high elevation, fragile eco-environment and permafrost, could be overcome.

We sent a report to Minister Zeng Peiyan of the State Planning Commission. He organized meetings for me to report and also for experts to discuss the proposal. All agreed to build the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, as the Xining-Golmud line was already in place, leaving a shorter section to Lhasa.

When the fifth session of the 15th CPC Central Committee met in Beijing in November 2000, President Jiang Zemin attended the southwestern group discussion. Guo Jinglong and Radi talked to President Jiang Zemin. The latter asked Railway Minister Fu Zhihuan to make a report and he explained how surveys had identified the Qinghai-Tibet line as the best choice. President Jiang advised Fu to write a report for the Central Government to study and make a final decision. The Department of the Planning produced a two-page report, but when I saw the draft, I found it was too simple. Minister Fu asked me to revise it, which I did. I thought that President Jiang would want a simple report that, however, had to be to the point. I wrote about all that we had done and why we favored the Qinghai-Tibet route. The report contained six pages. Minister Fu read it before sending it to President Jiang. After reading it, the president wrote a three-page response late on the evening of December 11, 2000.

On February 7, 2001, Premier Zhu Rongji presided over a meeting which approved establishment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway project. Upon receipt of the news, I was excited. We had already begun to survey the route in July 2000, and got the project started on June 29, 2001. Its smooth progress reflects the efforts made by the Central Government and the support of the whole nation.

Innovative Administrative Mode on Utilities Projects

Builders using heat stick to cope with the permafrost area in the northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Investment in the Qinghai-Tibet Railway totals 33 billion Yuan, including 75 percent of national debt and 25 percent of railway construction funds, which is a typical ratio for utilities construction projects. For this kind of project, we had invariably adopted the mode whereby some governmental department founded a headquarters, and, after construction was completed, the project was transferred to an operation entity. In Tibet there are many such examples.

How to carry out effective administration of such large projects? It is a new subject for project administrators and builders to actively deal with in this new millennium.

For the first time, we adopted a construction project legal-person mechanism. In 2002 a State-owned single-investment corporation, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation, was founded and generally took charge of the construction, operation and administration of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The construction headquarters of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway served as its agency in Golmud and took charge of all the construction and administration of the railway as representative of the legal person. This was approved by the State Council. On June 19 2004, the Ministry of Railways merged the Lanzhou Railway Bureau, in charge of the operation of the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, into the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation, and ensured that the construction, operation and administration of the entire line would form an organic unity. This created advantages for combining human resources, vehicles and other resources on a larger scale, optimizing productivity distribution and enhancing investment benefits.

Specifically speaking, the foundation of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation created the following advantages: first, it was helpful to realize the objective of railway construction. This corporation directly took charge of the construction and administration of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in order to meet the requirements for a transport service. It had to strengthen administration and monitoring through all the phases of the project to ensure necessary quality, environmental protection, health care guarantees and safe working conditions for workers, as well as the construction investment and construction period, to ensure the construction level reached the top level among railways in the world. This mode also proved beneficial in creating social economic benefits and sustainable development along the route of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation took charge both of the construction administration and operations administration, avoiding the shortcomings inherent when the two functions are separated and where the linkages are inadequate. With the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation taking complete charge of the business it would be able to closely unite construction with operation, plan the operation administration mode in advance while doing a good job in construction. Thirdly, this mode was beneficial in controlling construction investment. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation is under the supervision and administration of the Ministry of Railways. It has a strict supervision and examination mechanism that restrained the investing incentives of the legal person on a large scale and brought the investment under effective control.

In the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, we created five objectives, "quality control, environmental protection, health and sanitation safety, time frame control and investment control". Various requirements were included in the project contracts, and both of the contractors and the State overseers had definite responsibilities, clear objectives and quantitative indices, which proved feasible. Building units viewed various objectives as a whole and made dispositions, implementation, examination and assessment together; construction units devolved these objectives, duties and requirements to each part of the project, site and staff; and supervision units checked on project quality and supervised environmental protection and safety strictly.

Meanwhile, we optimized the organization coordinating mechanism and made innovations in regard to the mode of team administration and building roads and lands together. On the one hand, we managed the team according to contracts, and on the other hand, a Party workers' committee was established in the construction headquarters admitting directors of major construction units as members, uniting all the construction units without any subjection relations among them, and forming a new mode of administration combining engineering and ideology.

All of the aforementioned are new experiences obtained from the construction and administration of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. After five years of practice, we think they satisfy both the requirements of modern administration and a socialist market-oriented economy.

Several Measures to Tackle Permafrost

Workers of the No.5 Bureau of the China National Railways and Tibtan workers replant grasses along the railway.

Photo by Tang Guoqiang

Permafrost refers to a soil texture particular in freezing areas, i.e. rock-soil with ice with a temperature no higher than zero degrees Centigrade. Its seasonal thaw stratum will freeze in winter expanding in size and swelling the surface; in summer, with a rise in temperature, its size will decrease leading to some sinking. This is a special phenomenon of permafrost and it creates a very unstable state for construction projects. We saw and inspected such projects as the Trans-Siberian Railway, in operation for more than a hundred years, and the railway constructed by Russia in the 1970s. There were many problems that resulted in a top train speed of only 50 to 70 kph; similar occurrences were noted in railways in Northern Europe and North America, such as the Alaska Railway. In the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, 550 km of the line crosses permafrost areas. In addition, from Xidatan, on the northern slope of Kunlun Mountain, to Amdo, at the southern foot of Tanggula Mountains, the altitude is high and air pressure is low with plateau coldness and lack of oxygen, which was a severe test for us.

Before launching construction, we learned from experience and lessons of foreign permafrost projects, combined with more than 40 years of scientific research fruits of Chinese scientists on permafrost, and compiled "Temporary Regulations" on investigation, design and construction of railways in permafrost areas, which provided technical criteria that were modified as we proceeded. We established five pilot sections in permafrost areas, observing the cycle of freezing and thawing, and checked whether our designs could comply with the practical requirements. It helped us avoid crooked roads in practice and it was very reasonable with significant demonstration role and exploration meaning.

In the construction, we carried out research and confirmed the guidance of "active cooling", i.e. transforming the cool air energy in nature to underground. It was not necessary to spend much money on making refrigeration machines, as the cold season on the plateau lasts for a long period and the average temperature is always below zero. According to traditional ideas, permafrost should be separated from external objects and there are two ways to do this: one is to add heat preservation boards on the permafrost to prevent it from thawing, which avoids the sinking from solar radiation, but means that, in winter, the cool air cannot sink down either; the other way is to build a high roadbed like a quilt to preserve heat, although this also has bad effects. We avoided this by transforming the cool air to underground and maintain stability of the permafrost.

In practice, we created more than ten kinds of project measures. For example, when building the roadbed, slice stone air is used to cool roadbed by paving some three-inch-deep earth on the ground as a mat, then adding 120-150-cm of slice stones and finally more earth. Slice stones can vent the air and transmit the cool air outside to underground. After experimental verification and several years of observation, the underground temperature in those sections adopting this method was much lower than other sections in the same area. Thus, active cooling was realized and we had frozen ground conditions on which we could build.

Another method to reduce the temperature is a vent-pipe roadbed involves placing stainless steel pipes in parallel about five inches above the ground. The pipe diameter is between 30 and 40 cm, and space between two pipes is three times that of the pipe diameter. Another technology is heat stick, i.e. a seamless steel pipe of 80 mm diameter and 12 meters long which is sealed and placed underground. The pipe contains a medium switching between air and liquid. In winter the temperature outside is very low, minus 20 or 30 degrees centigrade or even minus 40, while that underground is minus 2 or 3 degrees centigrade and thus comparatively warm. This makes the medium inside the pipes become air and bring heat to the surface which is very cold; the air gradually freezes to liquid and brings cold air to underground. Through this circulation, heat energy underground is continuously brought to the surface and cold air on the surface is transmitted downwards. This is the refrigeration procedure of a heat stick. In summer, the stick no longer works. At beginning I doubted this was workable. What happens occurs inside the pipe and beyond our vision, so who knows whether it works or not? Americans can use infrared to scan. On vehicles equipped with infrared, they can walk while scanning and find out whether there is any movement inside the pipes. If it does not work, there will be no movement, which can be monitored by scanning. The adoption of heat sticks in oil transportation pipes in Alaska has been very successful, and we adopted it on a large scale in the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Now we also entrusted some relevant scientific research institutes with the task of improving and making innovations. There are many other measures and diversified measures including using crushed stones and slice stones to defend the side slopes and guard the permafrost. They all have very good effects and have been popularized.

Many Advantages From Replacing Roadbeds with Bridges

During the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, we gained a lot more knowledge about permafrost. For example, we originally designed bridges totaling 77 km long for the line, but in the construction, these became stretched to 156 km. Why did we extend bridges on such a large scale?

In some regions of permafrost, the air temperature is high as well as the ground temperature, the ice content was very great and the geological conditions were very bad. It is not stable to build a roadbed, so we decided to build up bridges instead. Building many bridges can first solve the unstable conditions in those regions with the worst geological conditions; secondly, building bridges causes the least disturbance and also blocks out the sunlight in a way a roadbed wouldn't do, thus keeping the ground cooler and protecting the permafrost; thirdly, the bridges can serve as transit passages for wild animals passing to and from their breeding areas.

The method of drilling and inserting stakes also has to be mentioned. There are options to drilling and pouring stake, inserting prefabricated stakes after drilling and filling the surrounding space with sand and cement; or, drilling and pounding the stakes into the ground. We had tested all these methods and finally selected the first one. In the past the method of drilling and pouring stake was not accepted around the world in the belief that pouring cement would thaw the permafrost around the stakes and have impacts on permafrost environment. We carried site experiments. After the pouring of the cement, its heat energy in effect thawed the permafrost around stakes, but some scores of days later it became frozen again, as it is very cold on the plateau thus returning things to their natural condition. In addition, we adopted a new revolving digging and drilling machine. At first it was imported but a domestic model was developed later. Revolving digging and drilling machines have high speed, good quality and don't use slurry. It is beneficial to environmental protection and its efficiency is ten to twenty times that of striking drills. We adopted a great number of these machines, which played a role in increasing construction speed, ensuring quality and enhancing environmental protection.

After more than three years of observation, the cold conservation under roadbed of railway increased, and the mark of zero degrees Centigrade was enhanced, which proved that these measures we adopted were good and could keep structural stability. In 2004, an international permafrost conference was held and many specialists, especially those from Russia and the US, saw what we had done. They all thought our measures lead the way in permafrost protection. But, to ensure safe operation, we have to monitor for a long time.

As to bridges, there are two problems: one is whether the cement cracks and the other one is whether there is any sinking or distortion. Our bridges were designed based on research by the Chinese Academy of Science assuming the temperature will rise about 1 degree Centigrade in the next 50 years, but the situation beyond then can only be monitored at the time. Before transforming to operation, we must do overall examination and check for acceptability. We check can check each bridge and each pier, one after another. In case of defects, we will at once repair; after operation, we will observe the changing situation for a long time, such as performing warm and cold season checks. However it is very difficult to do these things on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. There are many bridges along the way, while people are few. So, we have to try our best to adopt advanced technologies and carry out research on new equipment and instruments. In the past, monitoring was done by men, but now we should find ways to use more equipment and fewer people. Various advanced technologies such as scanning machines and photography should be used for reference and encourage innovation. It is gratifying that the bridges along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway are stable and reliable in light of the current situation.

In the permafrost regions, the train speed on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is to be 100 kph. At this moment no other country can realize such a speed in a permafrost region.

Health Guarantees Based on Humanistic Ideology

How to ensure participants in the construction remained healthy was a primary question the project had to solve. Therefore, we carefully established a set of health guarantee measures. The Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Health together created Regulations on Health Guarantees for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Three separate physical examinations were carried out. Before going to the plateau, all the staff had to participate in a strict examination and anyone with heart disease or hypertension was rejected. After three months and again before leaving the site (after working for six months), workers again underwent a physical examination to assess the impact of the plateau on their overall condition. The second step was to create a mechanism of being gradually accustomed to plateau conditions. Workers first to become acclimatized, taking several days rest after arriving at Golmud, avoiding heavy labor in the early days on the plateau, and increasing labor strength slowly. It is very scientific. Thirdly, there are three levels to the medical care guarantee system. Each project team has a health office, each bureau has a site hospital, and headquarters has a three-level medical care facility. On both ends of the railway Golmud Railway Hospital and Lhasa Military Area Hospital handled any seriously ill workers.

To deal with lack of oxygen on the plateau, we researched and popularized large-scale plateau oxygen-making machines, the first such in China. In the past, vehicles transported oxygen bottles to the plateau and oxygen could only be used to save lives. During building the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, we adopted the concept of the high pressure oxygen chamber used by the navy at sites at an altitude of four or five thousand meters. A total of 25 such oxygen chambers were built along the railway. In case of an emergency, people can be swiftly placed in the chamber and supplied with enriched oxygen until their symptoms showed some mitigation. Then, they would be sent down the plateau for full recovery before returning to work. The large-scale oxygen-making machine was tested first in Fenghuishan Mountain tunnel, which is at an altitude of 4,900 meters. As there is no ventilation, oxygen is scarcest in such tunnels. With this oxygen-making machine, it was measured that the oxygen content in the tunnel was even higher than outside (13 percent compared to about 12 percent). It was so good that I decided to popularize it immediately and ordered 17 oxygen-making machines. With these in place, each person could breathe oxygen fully and their health was guaranteed. In addition, some good methods adopted by the military were also adopted, such as high oxygen liquid treatment in No.4 Military Medical University, as well as nitric oxide treatment. They all had good effects.

We managed to achieve zero deaths and zero plague infection despite the severe construction conditions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It showed that the Central Government cared much about the builders of the railway and the health guarantee was full of meaning. For example, workers could eat fresh vegetables, meat, eggs and fruits. And the work of keeping out the cold and remaining warm was also done well. All living and working quarters were equipped with heat equipment. In the beginning, stoves were used to generate heat. But I did not agree with this as I was afraid of coal gas poisoning. Later, central heating was adopted.

In 2004, an international plateau medical science conference was held in Xining and Lhasa. Some of our colleagues exchanged their opinions at the conference and issued their theses. Some foreigners thought it was a miracle and some did not believe what they heard. So, we invited them to come to see. An American visited our hospital and believed. He said our equipment was very advanced; another man was visiting Damxung when he suddenly proposed to see our food. Our cafeteria was open around-the-clock. He found there was mutton and beef in the refrigerator, and there were eggs, milk powder and vegetables on the shelves. After seeing these things, he said he was reassured. He said he was doing a nutritional study. Having these nutritious foods on the plateau, anyone could recover his normal powers. They were satisfied with our medical care equipment and medical staff. The proportion of medical care staff in the total work force reached about 1.8 percent and they were all well trained. A plateau specialist from the US said: "The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the most challenging project, but you have made a contribution to world plateau medical science in medical treatment and prevention of plateau sickness. It is marvelous and beyond imagination."

Everyone Knows the Importance of Environmental Protection

Along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, there are abundant rare species, ecological types remaining in their original state, and the environment is fragile and highly sensitive hard to recover once damaged. Meanwhile as a source of rivers, the ecological situation once disrupted will bring disaster to all provinces and cities in the lower reaches as well as throughout South and Southeast Asia. Therefore, during the construction of the railway, to protect effectively the ecological system is an important duty. The Central Party Committee and the State Council paid much attention to this and leaders from the Central Government often came to the site to inspect and direct and issue definite requirements on environmental protection. Before the launch of construction, the Ministry of Railways, the State Environmental Protection Bureau and the Ministry of Water Resources organized and undertook a series of demonstration conferences and on-site investigations on special subjects related to environmental protection for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, compiled a Report on Impact on Environment and the Scheme for Water Conservancy, and stipulated some measures for wild animal and plant protection, landscape protection and water and soil conservation, permafrost protection, wetland protection, pollution prevention and treatment, environmental protection supervision and management, and the publicizing of relevant knowledge. Throughout construction, the project carefully complied with all these requirements, and future operations will continue to do so.

Then, what was the situation at the site? It can be summed up in three regards: first, protecting the environment by legal means, second is people protecting the environment, and third is scientific and technical environmental protection. We have many laws and regulations that must be carried out at the design, construction and operational stages, such as prevention of earth, air and water pollution. The Law on the Conservation of Water and Soil, and the Animal Protection Law are among more than ten laws and regulations now existing to promote environmental protection. It was more important that we transform these laws and regulations into the actions of each worker. The area of railway construction was so long, the workers were so many and accidents might happen anywhere, so we had to depend on everyone to undertake protection work. We printed many publicity brochures and sent them to every worker to strengthen their ideas about environmental protection. As for ordinary workers and laborers, simple is the best. Just a few sentences on what to do and what not to do are easy to remember and understand, such as it being taboo to hunt or eat marmots, vehicles only allowed to run on appointed routes, and it is taboo to trespass onto the grassland. They were all specific regulations and were observed well. I was moved by the slogans I saw in many places:

As you can see, the feelings and consciousness of workers were all well reflected in these words. So, the ideology of environmental protection was strengthened and it became a voluntary action to protect the ecology. When our workers picked up some injured Tibetan antelopes, they did not kill them to eat but fed them with milk, helped them heal their wounds and returned them to nature after recovery. The same thing happened with some injured vultures and eagles. It was also impressive to give way to Tibetan antelopes. The construction undertakings were under a very tight schedule, but, in order to let Tibetan antelopes pass by the railway, we voluntarily paused work for their migration, enhancing our environmental protection ideology.

What is scientific and technical environmental protection? In the past, many difficult questions were not thought over. In the initial period after I came to the plateau, I saw everywhere was bald and wanted to plant greensward. I referred to the Institute of Plateau Vegetables of the Chinese Academy of Science and asked them: "What is the highest altitude where grass can be planted?" The answer was "3,700 meters". I then asked: "Why didn't you research on places above 3,700 meters?" The answer: "there was nobody needing that kind of information". If there is no need, scientists will not undertake relevant research. But our construction was conducted in places up to elevations around 5,000 meters, so I entrusted the academy to experiment with greensward regeneration and grass planting at high altitude. The scientists were all very good. They selected many local seeds and carried out experiments at three sites, Damxung, Amdo and Tutu River, respectively at altitudes of 4,300 meters, 4,700 meters and 4,500 meters. After they finished and selected some good seeds, we started to popularize them. Planting greensward in the No. 27 section of the No.5 Engineer Bureau, for example, was a great success. When we found their grass was very green, we at once held a site meeting and asked everyone to learn from them-paving humus soil first, then scattering seeds, and covering with a thin plastic film to make the grass grow out. We have popularized these measures along the railway and it is going well. Channels were originally built by laying stones, but now we all plant grass. If you go to have a look, you will find it is a marvelous green corridor more than 300 km long. It was done by science not at random. There were many experiments such as selecting seeds and determining when watering or fertilization should be carried out.

Furthermore, passages for wild animals were never considered previously in Chinese rail construction, or roads for that matter. For this project, we planned three types of passages, totaling 33, for wild animals: below bridges, above the tops of tunnels and on gentle slopes. In the initial stage of construction, there were disputes among scientists. The two opposite schools did not agree even up to April 2004. In June, we recorded by video camera the situation of animals passing under the bridges. I passed on this news to many scientists and they were happy, too. Animals walking under bridges demonstrated that the passages could work. When we next had a meeting there were no disputes. Now, we entrusted the Chinese Academy of Science to assign some people for 24-hour monitoring to see how many animals passed and how long they took, as well as video recording. It is, of course, a scientific research fruit that wild animals can gradually adapt to and pass through these passages.

Environmental protection was carried on through the whole course of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Our plants got protection, so did the permafrost. And there was no impact on water sources and quality, wild animals can migrate freely, and the landscape was not destroyed. The State Environmental Protection Bureau, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Land Sources and Forestry Bureau have been carrying out annual inspections and all agree the environmental protection experiences from the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway have a strong demonstration role for major construction projects in China. Last year, the State Audit Office conducted a special audit of environmental protection on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and published results that can be found in newspapers and on the Internet.

Railway Network of Tibet in Programming

Tibet has a large tourist potential. Railway can carry many visitors. Furthermore, railways, airlines and highways can connect with each other. Some people will go in by airlines and out by train, or vice versa. Traveling in Tibet, vehicles are also available. This inter-linked network will play a long-term role in developing the Tibetan economy.

With mentioning of these, something struck me. Around December 9, 1973, Chairman Mao Zedong met with King Gyanendra of Nepal. We looked in the files of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and found the records of this meeting. At that time, King Gyanendra hoped to strengthen the economic and trading relationship between Nepal and China, and Chairman Mao supported the idea, adding that one means was by building a railway from Lhasa to the border with Nepal some time in the future. Currently, some people challenge the idea that Chairman Mao talked of building railways to Nepal. According to records, Chairman Mao said the railway would be built to the border -- how precise! In this way, he avoided the problem of interfering with someone else's sovereignty.

After the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opens to Lhasa, some railway lines will be built in Tibet to form a railway network within the autonomous region. After all, you don't get any flexibility with one railway, a network is better. At this moment, the best prospect is a line from Lhasa to Xigaze, which will play a role in developing the back areas of Tibet and Xigaze in particular. This railway also has two directions. First is connecting with Xinjiang and going beyond the border. It has not been decided to go from Yadong or from Qamdu, but it is sure be an international passage; second is from Lhasa to Nyingchi. This railway will be connected with railways of Kunming in future and form a Yunnan-Tibet Railway. Now, we have linked Kunming to Dali and the undertakings in Lijiang have been launched, too. The next step is to build up to Zhongdian. The construction within Yunnan will then have been completed. As to the railway from Lhasa to Nyingchi, there is only one section left undone. With the construction of this, a passage out to the sea will be formed, and Tibet traffic will enjoy flexibility via several passages.

Guideline on Plateau

Mention plateau and many people will feel afraid and turn pale at the very mention of the terrible word. Many people contact me including news media. At the outset, they always say: "How are you? Are you OK? Can you bear it?" In fact, I think going on the plateau is very meaningful and many places are worth recalling. I would sum up in eight words-do not be afraid, do not be careless. If you feel afraid, at first you cannot stand up to it mentally. I have encountered many people who fear venturing onto the plateau. And, if they go, they remain very nervous. In fact, I think it is not necessary to have this feeling, but don't be careless either. You cannot think everything is OK, as the situation on the plateau is really special. You may be OK in the plains area, but on the plateau, it may be a problem. So we cannot be careless.

In July 2000, I went to the plateau for the first time. Before, I had been to places at altitudes above 3,000 meters or even 4,000 meters. But that situation is different from that on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. When arriving at Golmud, I wondered what would I do if I feel sick on the way? There is no helicopter and the journey is several hundreds of km. In case of emergency, what timely measures can I take? At that moment, I thought of the work related to the health guarantee that had to be done well and the need to make sure medical sites were available to treat sickness. A sense of safety is a prerequisite for eliminating fear. It is of no use to only ask someone not to be fearful without any guarantee measures. At the first time when going to Tibet, Yang Chuantang particularly came to Golmud from Lhasa to receive me. He said he came to welcome me and accompany me along the way as representative of the Party Committee and Government of Tibet Autonomous Region. I planned to stay at Nachitai, then Tutu River, Nagqu and Damxung. But Yang Chuantang asked me not to stay at Damxung, but rather at Nagqu. He said: "That is the opinion of our Party Committee of the autonomous region. With the consideration of your safety, you have to stay at Nagqu." I submitted to his wishes. At Tutu River, with an altitude of 4,500 meters, after starting off, I felt very faint, but I had to investigate and to extend our regards to people. I had brought some articles to give to military units and highway maintenance squads. After reaching the plateau, we had to stay there. And there was no place to reside but at the army bases. I had talked with the military in advance, and they had a plan. When I arrived, I was welcomed as a person from the Central Government. I was faint and shook hands and smiled to one, two, more persons. They also gave welcoming speeches. In such conditions, my head was heavy and my feet felt like they were stepping on cotton. This was the first time for me to experience altitude sickness. Later, I recovered and had no more problems. Now, I feel free when going on the plateau, although I cannot walk too long or climb too high, otherwise I will start panting and feel the air is not sufficient. On top of Tanggula Mountains, after walking for 100 meters, I panted heavily. I still have this feeling but the condition does not seem like the occurrence of six years ago. Now, I adapt to it well.

We also encountered some danger. Once, when going from Yanshiping to the narrow railway pass of Tanggula Mountains, we could not pass along the highways. We had to detour further south about 100 km, but the newly replaced tires punctured twice. This wasn't so serious, but it could have been if the vehicle overturned on the rough terrain. In the end, we arrived at our destination safely. This reminded me of one thing-driving speed must be restricted as high speed always results in many accidents. In the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, there was no death from altitude sickness, but there were traffic accidents and some people died. The responsibility of traffic accidents cannot be blamed on the drivers, as there is lack of oxygen on the plateau, and people's action will be slower. If on the plain, one can give another the right of way, but on the plateau, sometimes they cannot do so and collide. We asked drivers to rest well, control speed to a low level, check vehicles and try their best to guarantee safe driving. We must value life. In case of accidents, everyone is sorry.

I don't drink much. In 2004, I made a fool of myself. It was festival time, National Day and mid-autumn festival. I went to extend my regards and brought some things such as mutton, beef and wine. I asked Wuliangye winery to make a quantity of wine for us named "close brotherhood wine" and printed "for builders of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway". I thought we should send these to them for celebrate festivals. When going from Golmud, I sent to everyone I saw and someone took a photograph of wine. When I arrived in Lhasa, our director said: "Vice-Minister Sun, our headquarters once issued an order forbidding the drinking of wine in places at an altitude above 4,000 meters." When hearing of this, I thought it was bad and I had done wrong. I said: "Come on and issue a notice that 'Vice-Minister Sun sent wine for all of you to be kept and drunk after the completion of the railway as a celebration." The notice was issued to all places along the railway. I did it for the best and was afraid that they would not have anything to celebrate festivals. So, I ordered the wine particularly from Wuliangye Winery and transported it by container. But the result was that it offended the relevant stipulations. I corrected it immediately and let them drink it after finishing their duties and coming down from the plateau, as they were permitted to drink in Golmud and Lhasa.

In summation, Vice-Minister Sun emphasized particularly that, the Party Central Committee and the State Council cared much about the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. They often heard reports, and many leaders came to sites to extend their regards and support builders along the railway; during the construction, each ministry gave support, and governments of Qinghai and Tibet both attached high importance to the matter, tried their best to support and coordinate, and solved many difficulties in the construction; all builders developed their spirit of "challenging the limits, and creating a top-ranking project". All of us made concerted efforts, brought a national people's commission to success, and finally constructed the top-ranking plateau railway in the world. As deputy director of construction leading group of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, he would like to express hearty thanks to all involved units and builders!