On March 19, 2022, a train loaded with automobile parts left an international logistics park in Ulanqab in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region for Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Thanks to the China-Laos Railway, it would take only 10 days for the train to deliver the goods to local clients in Laos.

Photo shows Chai Yang (right) and his Chinese mentor Niu Yuchun (Photo/Global People Magazine)

Since the China-Laos Railway opened to traffic in December 2021, the trains have continuously sent mechanical and electrical products and parts for industrial products to Laos, injecting an impetus into the country’s economic development. Meanwhile, the China-Laos Railway has also enabled Laos to become an intermediate station for goods heading onwards for Southeast Asia.

Behind these achievements made by the China-Laos Railway are the diligent efforts made by both Chinese and Laotian employees of the China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC), the main contractor for the railway project.

“I hope that the railway can bring rice, coffee, watermelons and bananas from Laos to Chinese supermarkets and the dining tables of Chinese people. Through the railway, China can lend a hand to the development of the hydropower and mining industries of Laos, and deliver tangible benefits to Laotian people,” said Chai Yang, a 26-year-old employee from the China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd.’s Boten-Vientiane project. Chai Yang, who is fluent in five languages, is a valuable employee in his company. The China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. is affiliated to the CRCC.

Chai Yang was born into a big family. Although his family is not wealthy, his parents always told Chai Yang and his siblings to study hard.

After graduating from the National University of Laos with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy, Chai Yang became an accountant for a hotel in Vientiane. However, the job didn’t last long because of layoffs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo shows Chai Yang. (Photo/Global People Magazine)

After Chai Yang learned from his friend that CRCC, which was building the China-Laos Railway, was looking for Laotian employees, he went to the company to try his luck. Although he was told that no accountant was needed, the company still hired him as a driver.

Because builders of the China-Laos Railway worked in places that were almost entirely uninhabited and the construction sites were connected with each other with nothing but unsurfaced roads and mountainous roads, the drivers had to be especially careful when they drove. To become competent for the job, Chai Yang put in a great deal of effort to practice his driving skills. He checked out the conditions of the roads he would drive on and eventually found out several safe and efficient driving routes. What Chai Yang was able to accomplish eventually impressed his colleagues.

Meanwhile, Chai Yang also devoted much time to learning the Chinese language, having mastered Chinese reading and writing skills in just several months. This laid a solid foundation for his future career development prospects at the Chinese company.

The young man also performed other duties within his capabilities. Soon, his colleagues who were working at the construction site became widely aware that he was a hardworking young man.

When talking about this experience, the young man is always humble. “When I saw my Chinese colleagues work overtime to construct the railway, I thought that I should contribute my part, so I came to the construction site to help them,” said Chai Yang.

After knowing about Chai Yang’s story, CRCC assigned him to become the driver of Niu Yuchun, a Chinese railway engineer. Chai Yang, who is always thirsty for knowledge, asked to become a student of Niu and learned engineering knowledge from his new superior.

When the construction of the signal tower at the Vientiane section of the China-Laos Railway was to be suspended, with the head of the construction team having been diagnosed with acute appendicitis and being hospitalized, Chai Yang was able to join the construction team and prove his engineering capabilities. Because of this, Niu recommended Chai Yang for a post at the China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

After joining the Chinese company, Chai Yang personally witnessed the positive changes that local people had experienced thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative. During his service at the Chinese company, the young man also got married, became a father, and built a new house for his family in the city, living a prosperous life.

Chai Yang told the reporter that, before the China-Laos Railway opened to traffic, when he wanted to get to Vientiane from his home, he had to first go down the mountain and then take a bus, with the trip being time-consuming and dangerous. However, after the railway service became available, many trips that used to take one day and one night can be finished in just three hours.

“The China-Laos Railway is the largest construction project in Laos, as well as a key route that can change the fate of Laos,” said Chai Yang.

Now, the young man has become a backbone employee in his company. He expressed the hope that after the COVID-19 pandemic is eventually contained, he can take his parents to China and visit some Chinese cities.