This oil painting, titled “Roadbuilding Pioneers,” was created by Chinese artists Chen Yifei and Wei Jingshan in 1972.

It depicts Chinese people united to build the Chengdu-Chongqing railway in tough environment in early 1950s.

It's the first railway line constructed after the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949.

The area between the two cities is full of steep mountains, which made it difficult to build the railway.

Over the years, many government officials had proposed starting the construction but all failed to push it forward until the founding of the PRC.

The construction of the railway began in June 1950. 

It required the excavation of more than 40 tunnels and the building of more than 400 bridges.  

Some 100,000 soldiers and civilians worked together with limited technology and equipment.

They risked their lives constructing the bridges above turbulent waters and building tunnels through sandstone.  

Many of them died during the construction.

The 1.29 million wood railroad ties urgently needed for the construction were donated by the residents along the railway line. Some elderly people even donated their own coffins to support the project.

The railway was completed in 1952 and has contributed to the region's economic development.

Over more than six decades, this 505-km long railway that connects Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan province and Chongqing Municipality has been renovated several times and is still in service.  

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