Chinese railway builders befriend Lao people

China-Laos railway construction workers volunteer to teach at a local school near the construction site. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Chinese builders of the China-Laos railway have established a friendship with the Lao people living along the railway over the two years since construction on the railway began.

A key project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Laos railway connects Vientiane, capital of Laos, with Mohan in China's Yunnan province. It has a total length of 414 kilometers, and is designed to support speeds of up to 160 km per hour.

Song Wei, head of a small village near the Mekong River bridges along the China-Laos railway, said that the construction of the railway has made his life much better.

"China Railway No.8 Engineering Group have helped us build roads and also hired villagers to work at the construction site", he said. Song himself has opened a restaurant to serve construction workers and passersby.

China Railway No 8 Engineering Group donates school supplies to a local school near the construction site of the China-Laos railway. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The construction workers built a new road more than 100 kilometers long, linking the village to Luang Prabang, a city in north-central Laos. Some villagers have bought a motorcycle or small truck since the road was built, Song said.

"I am thinking of opening a resort, as more tourists will come here after the railway opens", he said.

"The local people are very friendly to us, since they know we are building the railway for them", said Tang Gaoyun, a division Party secretary of the China Railway No 8 Engineering Group.

The villagers often invite the construction workers to their village and participate in activities together, he said.

In order to better communicate with the local people, Tang and other construction workers learn to speak Lao in their spare time. Tang is already able to have basic conversations with the Lao employees on the construction site.

Construction workers of the China-Laos railway play sepaktakraw with local youth in Laos. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Gong Suzhong, another division Party secretary of China Railway No 8 Engineering Group, takes a volunteer teaching team to a local school every week, teaching the students daily spoken language, geography, children's songs and folk culture.

The construction workers have also donated a variety of school supplies worth 32,000 yuan ($4,655) to the school, including computers, printers, textbooks and watercolor brushes.

"Construction work here is difficult, but we feel fulfilled, happy and proud", Gong said.

"The construction of the China-Laos railway will affect the future of the local people. And as part of a Belt and Road project, it's our duty to promote peaceful cooperation", he said.

The China-Laos railway is expected to be fully operational by December 2021. It will take passengers only three hours to travel from Mohan to Vientiane, as opposed to the 16 hours it currently takes by car.