CREC4 technicians show surveying tools used in building the Xining-Chengdu railway to a young Tibetan woman in Gansu province. [Photo by Xing Jiang for China Daily]

When builders from China Railway No 4 Engineering Group Co Ltd (CREC4) started their work in Gansu province on a railway project in 2022, a young woman of the Tibetan ethnic group approached the technicians, asking, "What is that device you are using?"

The technicians from CREC4 Seventh Engineering were surveying the terrain in Luchu county under Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, preparing to help build the Xining-Chengdu railway, which links Northwest China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces with Sichuan province in Southwest China.

Seeing the young lady tending her herd, they explained to her the uses of the survey tool and its role in helping construct the railway, which traverses the county sitting on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The CREC4 staff members officially started their work on Oct 26, 2022, embarking on their six-yearlong task, with 255 managerial employees and 1,376 construction workers, said Guan Lei, Party secretary for the first division of CREC4's railway project for the Xining-Chengdu railway.

"We also brought 398 pieces of mechanical equipment into our construction site," he said, noting that his preliminary research showed the task to be an arduous one, as their bid sits at an elevation of some 3,500 meters above sea level, with some sites surpassing 3,700 meters.

"We have to spare every effort in properly building this national railway infrastructure," Guan said.

Some months into his work, Guan made a mini-movie — On the Xining-Chengdu Railway, It is No Longer Cold — detailing his colleagues' combat with the cold weather (-30.6 C at extremes) and the high altitude, which brings a lack of oxygen.

"Despite the cold wind which blows over the plateau, and the snow which falls at an early date, we have progressed well in accordance with our schedule," he said.

Khamdrug Tso is a native of Lhamosi town in Luchu county and joined the CREC4 project team in July 2022 upon her graduation from Sichuan Vocational and Technical College.

Her dedication to her job in materials management has won her widespread praise from colleagues.

"My sincere thanks go to the CREC4 project department, which not only helps me master my skills, but also hands me 6,300 yuan ($869) each month for my salary, helping improve my family's income," she said.

To express her thanks, she brought her friends of the Tibetan ethnic group to an evening party at the project department during the Dragon Boat Festival in 2023, performing traditional Tibetan dances for participants.

Wangchen Tso, a member of the Tibetan ethnic group who is divorced with three children and works as a cleaner for the CREC4 project department, found an anomaly on her kidney during a CREC4 medical examination for staff members.

After undergoing timely treatment at a hospital, Wangchen is now recuperating at home, and the managerial staffer from the CREC4 project department went to comfort her with gifts.

She said she was grateful to the CREC4 project department for her physical examination, which enabled her to have timely treatment, and her income from her job can help her and her three children live better lives.

In addition to building the railway, CREC4 employees help locals of the Tibetan ethnic group overall, said Xing Jiang, an office director from CREC4 Seventh Engineering.

Xing said they leased local machinery and equipment and improved the standardization of local machinery leasing; bought local foodstuffs, hardware and specialty products to enrich local incomes; hired locals to help train engineering and technical personnel; set up shared bookstores and health checking posts to boost local culture; and planted more trees to help improve the local environment.

Chigyung Tashi is Party secretary of Lhamosi town and often pays visits to the CREC4 project department to help solve related problems.

It is expected that the Xining-Chengdu railway will extend for 183.47 kilometers in Gansu, including 69.65 km in Luchu, which will have three stations — Luchu, Tsecha and Lhamosi.

"With the new railway, our town will witness faster rural vitalization," he said, adding that the unit is doing a lot of work for them.

Xing said they are working harmoniously with local colleagues in their daily construction job and in their recreational activities.

One get-together for a drill with the local police and a joint signing ceremony for safety enhancement among the CREC4 staff members this year allowed those from various ethnic groups to develop warm memories, he said.