China News Service, Guangzhou, February 18, Title: Communication: Thousands of miles of construction of the Silk Road in Laos is also the Chinese New Year
Author Wang Hua Shendian
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the noon temperature in Laos approached 35°C. Kang Lining, the project director of Guangdong Chuangcheng Construction Supervision Consulting Co., Ltd., took off his helmet, wiped the sweat on his forehead with a towel, and took out his mobile phone from his pocket. On the screen was a photo just sent by his wife: in the yard of his hometown in Shanxi, red lanterns were hung high, and dumplings were piled high on the curtain. He looked hungry.
In Laos, Chinese builders of the Taviyan-Napa double-circuit 230 kV transmission line project are clearing surface vegetation. Data chart. Photo courtesy of Guangdong Power Grid Corporation
This is the first Spring Festival spent by Kang Lining in Laos. He is the project director of the Taviyan-Napa double-circuit 230 kV transmission line project. All the routes here pass through the historical minefields in northern Laos. As the project director, Kang Lining knows that demining is the "lifeline" of all subsequent construction. He squatted down, traced the land where demining work had just been completed with his fingers, and said, "It's not something that can be passed by just signing. Every inch must be confirmed with your own eyes. This is responsible for everyone."
On-site physical construction was suspended as usual starting from New Year's Eve, but demining operations instead entered a critical period. In the tin room where the supervision department is stationed at the site, Kang Lining and his colleagues hung up a handwritten Spring Festival couplet: Build the Silk Road in a foreign land and clear mines first to protect safety. There was no glue, so it was fixed to the wall with transparent tape. The red paper was slightly trembled by the hot air that penetrated through the crack in the door.
On New Year's Day, the demining unit completed the clearance of the last core area. Kang Lining led the supervision team to inspect and accept points one by one, with the GPS locator flashing in his hand. His notebook is densely packed with data: demining depth, soil conditions, coordinates of underground obstacles… "These will be archived for twenty years."
The dry season in Laos is very precious. When the rainy season comes in May every year, heavy rains will bring construction to a standstill. "Every hour we spend now is to save money for the sprint before the rainy season." As the sun set, Kang Lining stood on the newly cleared channel and sent photos of the scene to the Construction Management Department of Guangdong Chuangcheng Construction Supervision Consulting Co., Ltd. and the owner's project department of Laos National Transmission Network Co., Ltd. (EDL-T). In the camera, he and his colleagues are standing under the banner of "China Supervision", with the line corridor extending into the distance behind them, and they are high-spirited in the dust.
Returning to the camp in the evening, the canteen prepared a simple New Year’s meal: dumplings ordered from a Chinese restaurant in Phonsavan, Xieng Khuang Province, plus locally purchased mango, plantain, minced meat salad and sticky rice, and specially bought Laotian beer. Kang Lining sent red envelopes to every left-behind employee, "It's just for good luck."
When the video call was connected, it was already nine o'clock in the evening at China's home. On the other side of the screen, my daughter came over and said, "Dad, is it hot over there? Has the scarf I knitted for you arrived?"
"We're here." Kang Lining smiled, but his eyes were a little hot: "We won't need it here. We will wear it when we go back to China for vacation." After hanging up the phone, he walked outside the camp alone. In the distance, marking flags left by demining operations formed a winding line in the dusk, pointing in the direction of the Mekong River. There, transmission towers will be erected in the future, bringing light to thousands of households in Laos.
As night falls, the last ray of sunset, like molten gold, slowly sinks into the embrace of the Xiang Khouang Plateau. Kang Lining opened the supervision diary for the new year and solemnly wrote on the title page: "On the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2026, Xieng Khouang, Laos. The progress of demining is in line with expectations and everyone is safe."
Outside the window, a tributary of the Mekong River flows quietly. In this Spring Festival in a foreign country, a group of Chinese builders interpret responsibility and responsibility with perseverance, building a road to the future. (over)
