Ｇａｎｓｕ：Ｃｏｎｎｅｃｔｉｎｇ Ｅａｓｔ ａｎｄ Ｗｅｓｔ

ＬＩＵ　ＨＵＡＮＺＨＩ

EIGHTEEN years ago, the Vice Ministers of Railways from China and the Soviet Union tightened the last screws on a new line and exchanged wrenches, marking the completion of a second Asia-Europe railway, following the Siberia Continental Bridge. Starting from Lianyungang in Chinas eastern province of Jiangsu, the New Eurasian Continental Bridge goes through 11 Chinese provinces before heading into Russia. From there it winds its way through Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Germany, before arriving at its final destination of Rotterdam. Part of this 11,000 kilometer epic route traverses Chinas western province of Gansu, long an important juncture between Eastern and Western civilizations.

Gansu connects the southwest Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Loess Plateau in central China. The famous Silk Road, one of the most important merchant routes in ancient times, crossed most of the present-day province. The emperors envoy Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25) traveled through here, bringing news of peace to the ancient Western Regions. Centuries later Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) passed through Gansu on her way to marry Tibetan king Songtsam Gambo. Countless ancient trade-routes traverse the region, such as Guanlong Dao, Chama Dao, Xiaoguan Dao, Chencang Dao and Yinping Dao.

Despite this venerable history and the coming of the Asia-Europe railway in the early 1990s, Gansu has lagged behind Chinas eastern seaboard for decades in terms of transportation infrastructure. Recent times have seen a gradual change, however, with massive investment by both the provincial and national governments in road building across the province.

Connecting Gansu to the World

Lying in western China, Gansu is an important hub in the nations road network. Over 1,600 kilometers of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge can be found here, as well as 10 national highways, 32 provincial highways, and some 900 country byways.

“Gansu has played an important role in highway construction in western China,” says Yang Yongzhong, head of the Communication Bureau of Gansu. “We have built this network not only for the province, but also for the whole country.” Yang believes Gansu and its neighbors can develop only when a solid road network is in place, so the question of how to connect the five northwest provinces/autonomous regions, both to each other and the prosperous east, loomed large when Yang became head of the bureau in 2004.

Since then, the situation has improved considerably. By the end of 2007, the total length of highways in Gansu had reached 100,612 kilometers, including 1,316 kilometers of expressway and 6,536 kilometers of high-class highway. About 91 percent of the provinces villages are now accessible to traffic.

In a sign of changing times, on November 1, 2007 the Communication Bureau of Gansu and the Shanghai Urban Transportation Administration Bureau signed a protocol. They promised to treat each other with preferential policies, as transportation is central to the economies of both. Shanghai is famous as an international harbor, while an improved road network means Gansu is increasingly rich in overland transportation resources.

An Expanding Highway Network

Gansus first expressway opened in 1994, a modest road of 13.15 kilometers linking Qincheng to Beidao in Tianshui. Further development was lackluster for the next five years, mainly due to a lack of funds. In 1998, the province took a giant step forward as the central government began to focus on development in Chinas western regions. That year saw construction start on four new expressways. New roads now link the capital Lanzhou, via Jiayuguan, to Guazhou, and the famous Buddhist grottoes of Dunhuang. This new highway retraces the route of the ancient Silk Road.

Building on this work in central and western Gansu, in December 2004 the province invested over RMB 50 billion in improvements to its eastern network. Starting from Lanzhou, three artery roads will be transformed into expressways, linking five cities to the south, east and southeast. The total projected number of expressways will cover one-fifth of the province by 2013, totaling 2,529 kilometers of roadway. When the project is complete, more than half the provinces population will have direct access to highways. This large-scale modernization of the road network is expected to boost the economy considerably.

A concern with environmental protection has underpinned all these developments. The Qinling Mountains, for example, contain one of the most unique and fragile ecosystems in China. The mountain range runs in an east-west direction, creating markedly different weather patterns and fostering the growth of different flora to that found in Chinas more common north-south mountain ranges. Maintaining this valuable and rare environment is vital. When construction of the expressway from Baoji to Tianshui was announced in 2005, it came under considerable scrutiny, as the road had to pass through this mountainous region. Adopting advanced technologies, the construction met strict environmental standards. As one section of a prime national route from Lianyungang to Korgas in Xinjiang, the roads opening gave Gansu and other western provinces clear access to the eastern and southern coasts of China.

A Streamlined Administration

Since taking over the Communication Bureau, Yang Yongzhong has restructured the administration of Gansus roads and greatly improved efficiency. Tollways, for example, were once managed by four separate companies. This complex administrative structure made it difficult for authorities to keep up with the construction boom, and in some instances actually hindered progress. Yang Yongzhong established a more streamlined system, which has seen the Communication Bureau take over direct administration of highways in the province, with different departments in charge of construction, management and maintenance.

“Gansu now has a leading operating model in China in terms of loan raising, amortizing and management,” claims Lei Wanming, head of the Communication Bureaus financial department. A direct management system guarantees effective handling of employees, capital and assets. These changes have also made raising capital much easier, as evidenced by the second cooperative road construction project between the bureau and the Asian Development Bank. An agreement signed on July 14, 2007 saw Gansu receive a loan of US $300 million.

At the first Forum of Transportation in Western China initiated by the Gansu Communication Bureau, the province signed an agreement with 11 others focusing on closer cooperation. The protocol kicked off a new road link between Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia, which will represent an intercity logistics express. An automotive rescue hotline (96779) was also set up covering Gansu and neighboring Ningxia, providing a convenient service to drivers in the two localities.

In addition, 2004 saw Gansu initiate western Chinas first online transportation information center. The site compiles information from 14 city-level and 86 county-level organizations, and some 150 logistic companies.

Country Byways: the Provinces “Blood Vessels”

As part of the drought-plagued Loess Plateau, Gansu has always been a parched province. “Water is soaked up by the soil in no time, even if it does rain,” explains Zhao Yanlong, head of the Gansu Provincial Highway Bureau. “On sunny days, the road is dusty, and on rainy days its muddy.”

Mud means some villages are not accessible to traffic following rainfall. In Dingxi, dubbed “city of potatoes,” piles of the vegetables go bad and have to be thrown away when roads to outside markets become a quagmire. The same thing happens in Longnan. For farmers in this poor, predominantly agricultural province, setbacks such as these can be devastating.

Since 2001, the province has been working on improving farmers living conditions. Once again, a modern, comprehensive road system has been a priority.

The central government has steadily increased investment in the rural roads project. Between 2001 and 2005, RMB 90 million was earmarked annually, which increased to 1.1 billion in 2006 and 1.8 billion in 2007. “The road network is just like a human body. The highways constitute the skeleton, while rural roads are the blood vessels,” says a senior engineer. “A body can be healthy only when the vessels work smoothly.” This veteran spent 30 years on highway construction, but now devotes himself to rural byways.

All this investment has produced results. Government statistics show that Gansu built or rebuilt 26,000 kilometers of rural roads between 2001 and 2005. The past two years have seen over 10,000 additional kilometers added to the rural network. RMB 4.25 billion was spent in 2007 – a 20 percent increase over the previous year.

Gansus greatly improved road system not only provides better access to towns and cities within the province, it also opens the area to the outside world. These developments have brought more economic opportunities to local merchants and farmers. More importantly, new roads have brought new, innovative ideas and modern concepts to one of Chinas least developed regions.