The spirit of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway builders
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway extends 1,956 km from Xining in Qinghai Province to Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The construction was conducted in two phases: the Xining-Golmud section was completed in 1984 and the Golmud-Lhasa section was completed in 2006. It is the world’s longest plateau railway at the highest altitude, and also the most challenging construction project in railroad history. Its completion hinged on China’s economic and technological strengths, and the powerful moral support of numerous workers.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway builders were inspired by a courageous will to challenge their own physical and mental limits and build a plateau railway of the best possible quality. To this end, the engineers tackled such problems as permafrost, shortage of oxygen in the alpine regions, and a vulnerable eco-environment – three problems as tough as any faced by railroad engineers anywhere in the world.
青藏铁路精神
青藏铁路自青海西宁至西藏拉萨全长1956公里,包括西宁至格尔木和格尔木至拉萨两段。青藏铁路格拉段是世界上海拔最高、线路最长的高原铁路,是世界铁路建设史上最具挑战性的工程项目。修建这样的铁路,不仅需要雄厚的经济实力和强大的科技实力作基础,同时需要强大的精神支柱作支撑。
青藏铁路精神的主要内涵是“挑战极限、勇创一流”。“挑战极限”概括了广大青藏铁路建设者在“生命禁区”,以不畏艰险的英雄气概和求真务实的科学态度,挑战生理心理极限,攻克“多年冻土、高寒缺氧、生态脆弱”三大世界性工程难题的卓绝表现;“勇创一流”概括了广大建设者以敢于超越前人的大智大勇,建设世界一流高原冻土铁路,拼搏奋斗,开拓创新,攀登不止的崇高精神。