嘉镜线 Jiayuguan-Jingtieshan Railway (2017-2018)

Jiayuguan is a city in the Gansu Province, China. It is one of the most famous cities in Northwest China because of the Jiayuguan Pass, which is the west end of the Great Wall. In 1958, the construction of Jiuquan Iron & Steel Plant started in Jiayuguan City under the First Five-year plans of China, because of the discovery of iron ore mines in the Qilian Mountain. After the discovery, the mine region was named Jingtieshan (means "the mountain of specular hematite"). The construction of the 78km railway that connects the plant and the mines also started in 1958. Due to the insanely steep, mountainous terrains and extreme weather conditions along the route, even the Soviet engineers at the time didn't think this railway was possible to build. However, with the endless effort of thousands of workers, the railway was eventually finished in 1966.

Without a doubt, the prosperity of Jiayuguan City and China's early steel industry cannot live without this railway, but the natural resources will always be exhausted someday in the future. The photography series serve as a documentary as well as a worship to the magnificent landscape and those who designed, built and work(ed) on this railway in Northwest China.

Special thanks to Jiayuguan Radio & Television Station for sponsoring my second trip to the region in 2018. Their film documentary (filmed in 2018 and 2019) on the railway can be watched from here (in Chinese).