Chinas QinghaiTibet Plateau, rising more than 4,00 meters above sea level, is the highest plateau in the world, making it be the closest place on Earth to Heaven. The QinghaiTibet Railway, under construction, leads there.

I have a friend who worked as a driver on the QinghaiTibet Plateau ten years ago. In some sections, he says, it was rare for him to see a single person in almost a hundred vast, cold kilometers, which nearly drove him mad. Occasionally, a few Tibetans appeared on the lonesome roadside, asking for a ride, They were either on their way home with the money theyd made by selling sheep or wanted to catch up with their migrating families. With an innate talent for song, the Tibetan sang along the way, which gave my friends heart great solace.

He never charged for a ride.

The plateau is the Roof of the World, a place where cold and isolation rule, and where the dangers of anoxemia and mountain sickness have protected the plateau from the disturbance of human activities. This has left the landforms unspoiled and preserved an abundance of biological species. The plateau is home to more than 50 peaks that are more than 7,000 meters above sea level, and the highest of them, Mt. Qomolangma (Everest), rises 8,848.13 meters. Here, snowcapped mountains are pure and clean, and crystalline lakes reflect white clouds and blue sky. In summer, countless rare, wild animals roam around on flourishing meadows and endless deserts of sand and rocks.

Poor traffic conditions once blocked the local peoples communication with the outside world, and the closed environment resulted in slow economic development.

In the past, there were only narrow paths tapped by caravans for the residents of Lhasa, the presentday capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, to enter the Central Plain area. Such a journey was dangerous and time-consuming. In the 1950s, Chinas central government constructed several highways, linking Tibet with Sichuan, Yunnan, and Qinghai Provinces as well as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In the 1960s, domestic air routes leading to Tibet were opened. The improvement in the transportation and traffic conditions has not only promoted material and cultural exchanges between Tibet and the other parts of China, but also has attracted a growing number of visitors to the plateau to enjoy the magnificent highland scenery and experience Tibetan customs and mysterious Tibetan Buddhist culture.

But highway and air transportation have limitations. Highways mean limited transport capacity and a great deal of time, and the roadways are not always reliable. The YunnamTibet and the SichuanTibet Highways are often cut off due to heavy snow or landslides. Air transportation, meanwhile, is costly, unsuitable for cargo. The optimal choice for efficient, economical transport, then, is a railway.

The project for constructing a railway on the QinghaiTibet Plateau was first proposed in the 1950s. After years of survey, research, and reasoning, the railway route was determined, starting from Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, passing Golmud and ending in Lhasa. Its XiningGolmud Section was put into service in 1978, and the second phase of the construction involves the remaining section of the railway, which starts from Golmud, then runs northward along the Golmud and Kunlun Rivers, passes the 4,772meterhigh saddleback of the Kunlun Mountains, climbs over Mt. Hoh Xil, crosses the 5,072meterhigh mountain mouth of Tanggula, tramps the North Tibet Plateau, goes southward to Nagqu, and finally enters Lhasa. On February 8,2001, Chinas State Council approved the construction of this section, which is expected to reach 1,118 kilometers. The construction started on June kilometers. The construction started on June 29,2001, and will be completed in June 2007.

More than 280 kilometers of the second phase have been completed. It has successfully passed the Hoh Xil Depopulated Area, which is more than 4,700 meters above sea level, and is marching towards Lhasa.

The worlds highest and longest plateau train route, the QinghaiTibet Railway is sometimes regarded by Tibetans on the plateau as an ironandsteel dragon, sometimes a path leading to heaven, and sometimes a rainbow which will bring them fortune and prosperity.

By: Xu Wei