In the sixties of the last century, there was a railway project in Africa, because it was too difficult to build, and no country dared to take over.
At that time, we had not even finished building our own railway, and everything was in ruins, but we were still willing to send people and materials to help Africa.
I thought that China's goodwill would impress Africa, but I didn't expect that the local residents did not protect the railway line well.
There are also people who deliberately damage the railroad tracks, dig up the cables and sell them to the market as rags, what is going on?
Witness the railway of China-Africa friendship
On September 5, 1967, the governments of China, Tanzania and Zambia signed the Agreement on the Construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, marking the official launch of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Project.
This news took the United States by surprise, and they could not understand why Zambian President Kaunda suddenly turned to the Chinese camp.
You must know that Tanzania and Zambia were both newly independent countries in the wave of African national liberation in the 60s of the last century, and at the beginning of independence, the economic development of the two countries faced great difficulties.
As the saying goes, "If you want to get rich, build roads first." "Tanzania believes that only when the roads are repaired and the transportation is convenient can there be opportunities for economic development.
Tanya and Zambia reached a consensus and decided to build a railway at the junction of the two countries to connect the two countries.
In February 1965, after lengthy discussions, China decided to agree to aid Tanzania in building a railway in Africa.
Unexpectedly, after two years, the top leader of Zambia at that time visited China and also put forward the idea of building a railway.
After some agreement, the agreement was signed and the project entered the construction phase.
This photo was taken at the port of Les Salaam, Tanzania, and you can see the first Chinese-built locomotives being delivered one after another, with Chinese characters written on the locomotives.
However, the construction of the railway was not an easy task due to limited conditions at that time, and it required a lot of geological exploration and testing.
Soon after the agreement was signed, China set up an aid team to be stationed in Africa to direct the project.
In October 1970, just after the National Day, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway began.
On a wharf in Guangdong, the "Guanghua" and "Yaohua" ocean-going passenger ships hoisted huge banners of "Long live the great unity of the people of the world" and "Long live the friendship between the peoples of China, Tanzania and Zambia".
The ship was carrying the elite of China, who knew railway engineering technology, and it is worth mentioning that there were two people with special status, who set off with the most advanced photographic equipment and film in China at that time.
They are Wang Yuben, the director of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway documentary, and Yu Optimistic, the photographer, who arrived in Africa after nearly a month's difficult journey.
However, the Chinese construction team was completely dumbfounded by the sight in front of them, and when they first arrived here, there was only an endless primeval forest, and the project had no way to start.
To ensure that nothing went wrong, the construction of the railway had to be slowed down, the exploration work was not going well, there were tigers and poisonous snakes in the forest, and the team of experts was at risk of sacrifice at any time.
Wang Yuben once revealed a detail to the outside world: During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, all countries were developing their own science and technology, and at the same time applying for patents for protection, for fear that others would learn and break their monopoly position.
But China is different, not only generously teaching African railway engineering skills, but also helping to build local schools and even moving China's most advanced repair equipment abroad.
The simple goal is to help the people of Africa become self-reliant and build their own railways in the future.
The cooperation between China and Africa has been so powerful and unprecedented that the world's media have continued to pay attention to it and report the news.
The conditions in Africa are difficult, and many people are a little uncomfortable at first, especially in terms of food and housing.
At that time, I could only receive 40 yuan a month for living expenses, but the local materials were very expensive, and many people were reluctant to spend money.
Wang Yu also said that the living conditions on the construction site in Africa are very poor, especially in the first period of construction, the funds are particularly tight, and the food eaten is commonly known as the "three whites": white water, white flour, and white salt.
During the New Year's holidays, I can't even eat a dumpling, but the Chinese are very optimistic, every day is happy, and the atmosphere on the construction site is very good.
According to public information, the construction of the Tanzan Railway started in October 1970 and took six years to complete, with a total length of 1,860.5 kilometers and a project cost of 1 billion.
The entire project was built by us with interest-free loans, and the railway line is complex and crosses the rift zone, China has dispatched 50,000 engineers and technicians, and 64 Chinese workers have paid with their lives in the construction process.
It can be said that the Tanzania-Zambia railway is a model and epitome of China's early foreign aid, since the completion of the railway, tens of thousands of local jobs have been created, and the economic growth effect has been remarkable.
Unexpectedly, 40 years later, Tanzania and Zambia have undergone earth-shaking changes, and the operation of the railways has also been in trouble, and the number of passengers has been greatly reduced, and there are only two days of operation every Tuesday and Friday.
Some people have analyzed the root cause of this situation, and from the beginning, the railway was for the purpose of transporting goods, mainly to transport copper ore.
Later, copper ore exports decreased, and trains had to reduce expenses due to the problem of operating costs, and the number of trains became fewer.
Most of the employees who come to work are local residents, and they are not paid because the railroad is unable to make ends meet.
Some local residents have even removed some of the tracks of the Tanzan Railway to serve as a barrier.
There are also some sections of the road that have fallen into disrepair, and the railroad tracks have long been rusted, and the villagers have dug up the underground cables and sold them for money in order to make a living.
It's heart-wrenching for something like this to happen, and a lot of people were sacrificed to build this railway.
However, this will not affect the deep friendship between China and Africa, and the road to development is tortuous, and none of us can guarantee a smooth future.
Today, the Tanzania-Zambia railway is still in operation, with only some sections of the railway out of service and fewer departures than in the last century.
As a long-time partner, China also hopes that Africa can tide over the difficulties and believes that it can have a more advanced transportation system in the future.
And all we can do is to assist them, which is the responsibility and obligation of a major country.
Text: Uncle Luo Ying
Edited by Uncle Luo Ying
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