People in China's eastern province Anhui will soon be able to use gas all the way from Shaanxi in the northwest. The first flow arrived on Friday, marking the completion of the first phase of the eastern section of the gigantic fuel project.

Anhui is the relay station of the eastern part of the pipeline. The first phase extends from Jingbian in Shaanxi to Anhui, and the second from Anhui to the financial hub of Shanghai in the east. Prior to opening the valve, workers replaced the air in the pipeline with nitrogen as a safety measure.

The pipeline is 1,500 kilometers long, the longest that has ever been operated in China. The complete pipeline will start commercial operation on January 1, 2004.

(CCTV.com October 4, 2003)