This road "in the middle of the high mountains and steep ridges, the most stone work, and more than 7,000 feet of bridges, the road is dangerous and difficult to work for the end of other places," especially "Juyongguan, Badaling, the layers of peaks, stone cliffs and bends, throughout the provinces have been repairing the road, this is the most difficult, that is, the books of the Thai and Western, but also regarded as the projects The books of Thailand and the West also regarded these projects as arduous". "From Nankou to Badaling, the height of 180 feet apart, every 40 feet will have to be padded one foot." After the news of China's self-run Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway, foreigners sarcastically said that the Chinese engineer who built the railroad was not yet born. Zhan Tianyou bravely took up the difficult task of chief engineer, encouraging the engineers to strive for glory for the country, he personally led the engineering team to survey and set the line, from the three routes that had been surveyed and selected a lower construction cost. From Xizhimen through Shahe, Nankou, Juyongguan, Badaling, Huailai, Jimingyi, Xuanhua to Zhangjiakou. The most difficult part of the route was the Guangu section from Nankou to Badaling, where not only was the terrain steep, but the gradient was also very steep. Badaling near Qinglongqiao section, in order to cross the Yanshan mountain range Jundu mountain steep ditch, in the 22 kilometers of the line section of the use of the "human" character track, the train in the use of folding method of climbing incline; but the gradient is still as high as 33.7 ‰, to be hauled by two locomotives. There are four tunnels on the railroad, including the Badaling Tunnel, which is 1,092 meters long and is excavated by the shaft method, and the Juyongguan Tunnel, which is 400 meters long. There is also the 200-meter-long steel-framed Huailai Bridge.
The Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway began construction on September 4, 1905, and Zhan Tianyou, together with the railroad staff, overcame the difficulties of insufficient funds, shortage of machinery, and weak technical force, to complete the two difficult tunnels at Juyongguan and Badaling, and four years later it was completed on August 11, 1909, and opened to traffic on October 2, which was two years shorter than the original schedule; and the cost of the construction was also shorter than the original budget, saving three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver (1,092 m), which was the largest in the world. The cost of the tunnel was three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver (or two hundred and eighty thousand taels) less than the original budget. The total cost is only one-fifth of the price demanded by foreign contractors in the past, which can be said to be less expensive, good quality and fast completion. In front of the hard facts, foreigners can not help but be convinced. Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway is the first railroad designed and constructed by Chinese people themselves, which is the glory of Chinese people and Chinese engineering and technology, and also a victory of Chinese people's anti-imperialist struggle in the modern history of China. 1922, a bronze statue of Zhan Tianyou was erected in Qinglongqiao Railway Station, and a memorial hall of Zhan was built near it in 1987. At that time, buses entering Beijing had to stop for half an hour to visit the statue of Zhan Tianyou and the memorial hall.
Today's Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway is the first section of the Beijing-Baotou Railway that runs between Beijing and Baotou. Because the original Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway GuanGou section of the area through the capacity is poor, since 1952 in addition to build between FengTai and Shacheng (Huailai) FengSha line. Fengsha line to go that year, Zhan Tianyou that better, but because of the high cost and forced to give up the route. The Fung Sha Line has been a major coal transportation service, and in 1972, it was converted into a double line and electrified in 1984. Many passenger trains have now been diverted to the Fung Sha line.
But what most people don't know is that Zhan Tianyou had been working on China's railroads for nearly 20 years before he took over the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway project. During that time, he was involved in surveying and designing the Tientsin-Tongzhou Railway (the hotly disputed Tsingtong Railway), which Li Hongzhang planned to build; in building the Tientsin-Shanhaiguan Railway; and in constructing the Luanhe River Bridge, which still exists today.
To be precise, the "first railroad built by the Chinese" was not the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway. 1901, Cixi returned to Beijing from her escape and rode a train for the first time on the way. The train left a good impression on her, she proposed, two years later to take the train to the mausoleum in Xiling. So the Qing court urgently raise funds to build the Beijing-Han Railway Gaobeidian station to Lianggezhuang mausoleum of the branch line. The then Guanzhi inside and outside the railroad, "stay in the United States child" Liang Ruhao presided over this matter, he recommended Zhan Tianyou. Zhan Tianyou came to prominence and directed the rapid completion of the project in the snowy and icy conditions that were not easy to work in.
This was the first independent railroad built by a Chinese, though it was only 37 kilometers long and, ironically, it was built as a tribute to a man's ancestor.
Zhangjiakou was the main gateway from Beijing to Inner Mongolia, and the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway had obvious military, economic and political value. The news of the road, the greatest power in China, Britain's aspirations, as the Great Wall to the north of its sphere of influence of the Tsarist Russia does not give way, the two sides argued, and finally reached an agreement: if the Qing court does not borrow foreign debt, without the use of foreign craftsmen, all by the Chinese to independently build, the two sides can not extend their hands. In the British and Russian view, backward China is completely incapable of this, they waited for the Chinese people in a deadlock when they asked for help.
May 3, 1906, Zhan Tianyou wrote a letter to Mrs. Nossob, a "parent" in the U.S. when he was a student, in which he said:
I am now the father of seven children --- three girls and four boys! I am now the "chief engineer of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway", the road is about 125 miles long, three tunnels will be cut, the longest of which is three-quarters of a mile. This road is the first all Chinese engineers responsible for the construction of the railroad, I hope we can successfully complete!
Zhan Tianyou surveyed three routes. The second was too far a detour to be desirable. The third is today's Fengsha line, because the construction from the south of Beijing to the west, through a large number of cemeteries, there are too many obstacles. Due to limited funding and time constraints, Zhan Tianyou decided to adopt the first route, which was 360 miles long from Xizhimen through Shahe, via Nankou, Juyongguan, Badaling, Huailai, Jimingyi, Xuanhua to Zhangjiakou. The difficulty of the whole line in the GuanGou, this area of iterative mountains, cliffs and cliffs, the difficulty of the project at that time for the whole country, the world rare; slope is very great, Nankou and Badaling height difference of nearly 60 meters.
On October 24, 1906, Zhan Tianyou wrote:
Dear Mrs. Nossob:
It is true that I am fortunate to have been appointed to my present work. China is awakening and is in dire need of railroads, and Chinese engineers are now being solicited all over the country. China wants to use its own money to build China's own railroads. It seems that I have become the best engineer in China, so all Chinese and foreigners are watching my work closely. If I fail, it will not only be my personal misfortune, but also the misfortune of all Chinese engineers and all Chinese people, because Chinese engineers will not be trusted in the future!
Before I was commissioned for this work, and since then, many foreigners have openly declared that Chinese engineers could never have taken on such an arduous task, because of the cutting of mountains and the construction of very long tunnels!
But I gave it my all and have built a section so far. I enclose herewith a clipping to let you know what has been accomplished and will continue to be accomplished by a Chinese boy who was in your custody at New Haven. His early education was entirely the benefit of yours!
......
Your most obedient Zhan Tianyou
On September 30, 1906 the first section was fully opened to traffic, and the second section was begun at the same time. Herein lay the difficulty. First four tunnels had to be opened, Juyongguan, Wuguitou, Shifosi, and Badaling, the longest of which, the Badaling Tunnel, was 1,092 meters. This required not only precise calculations and proper command, but also new-fangled openers, ventilators and pumps. The former was not a problem for Zhan Tianyou, but the latter was not available in China at that time, and only by the hands of the workers.
The story is well known: Zhan Tianyou used both the north and south ends of the tunnel to cut into the middle of the tunnel. But the tunnel is too long, plus two straight shafts in the center, respectively, can be cut in the opposite direction, so there are six working faces at the same time. He used the principle of "folding reverse line" to build a "zigzag" shaped route to reduce the degree of climbing, and the use of the two ends of the pulling car cross-traffic. At the beginning of the construction of the railroad, there are carriages derailment. Zhan Tianyou thought of a way: the American Jenny invented the automatic hooks added to each carriage, so that it is combined into a solid whole, to ensure the safety of climbing.
On Dec. 11, 1906, during one of the most stressful days of the project, Zhan wrote to his boyhood friend Willie, Nossob's son:
At the present time, China is in a situation of great instability, and she is making costly experiments and striving for innovations. But what the future holds, no one can tell. My present railroad requires me to allow only Chinese to build it. If I had the authority. I would be happy to introduce you to a job, but unfortunately, I am now under orders not to employ foreign staff.
Building a railroad near the capital often comes with an unexpected "price". The railroad passes through the graveyard of the family of a former provincial official who was a relative of the royal family and a powerful figure in both the government and the countryside. This person led a crowd to stop the project, and privately offered a heavy bribe to change the route. However, the north, south and west are the graveyard of the powerful and wealthy, to change the road is not known how much waste will be caused. Zhan Tianyou endured humiliation, spent a lot of time with the powerful and influential, and finally let the railroad pass through the tomb wall. However, in order to maintain the "feng shui", promised to build another river, sent officials to offer incense and sacrifices, and then erected a monument to commemorate the completion of the road. The engineers were indignant, but Zhan Tianyou said, as long as the railroad can be repaired, other small things can be tolerated.
The third section of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway project is second only to the Guandou in difficulty. The first thing encountered was the Huailai Bridge, the longest bridge on the Beijing-Zhangzhou Road, which consisted of seven 30.48-meter-long steel girders erected. Thanks to the correct command of Zhan Tianyou, the bridge was successfully completed.
The Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway, originally planned to be completed in six years, was opened to traffic on August 11, 1909, two years ahead of schedule, thanks to the efforts of Zhan Tianyou. The project not only did not overspend, but also saved 280,000 taels of silver.
Zhan Tianyou left to the descendants of the photo, it seems since childhood to most do not smile. He was a rigorous engineer, pragmatic, fine. But occasionally, it also reveals the affection that his study abroad career brought him.
Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway is a railroad linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou that Zhan Tianyou presided over and built triumphantly, and it is a railroad completely financed, surveyed, designed and constructed by China itself, with a length of more than 200 kilometers. This road is "separated from the high mountains and steep ridges, the most stone work, and there are more than 7,000 feet of bridges, the road is dangerous and arduous work for other places have not." After the news of China's self-managed Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway, foreigners sarcastically said that the Chinese engineer who built the railroad was not yet born. Zhan Tianyou bravely took up the difficult task of chief engineer, encourage the engineers to fight for the glory of the country, he and the railroad staff together, to overcome the lack of funds, shortage of machinery, weak technical force and other difficulties, outstanding completion of the Juyongguan and Badaling two difficult tunnel project, designed the herringbone track. Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway started in September 1905, completed in August 1909, 2 years ahead of the expected project, the funding balance of 280,000 taels of silver, the entire cost of only one-fifth of the foreign contractor's asking price, can be said to spend less money, good quality, completion of the project quickly. Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway is the first railroad line designed and constructed by the Chinese themselves, which is the glory of the Chinese people and Chinese engineering and technology, and also a victory of the Chinese people's anti-imperialist struggle in the modern history of China.
Building the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway by the Chinese themselves was a heartbreaking victory under the special historical background at that time, but Zhan Tianyou and the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway, as well as the national spirit embedded in it, have become the eternal pride of the nation
Zhangjiakou's important geographic location has always been a must for the military, and therefore the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway has an important economic value and political value. When the Qing court to repair the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway news, in China for many years of British entrenched ambition, the tiger's eyes on the Tsarist Russia swore not to give way, the weak Qing government which party also dare not offend, had to decide to use China's own engineers to build the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway.
Zhan Tianyou, the creative spirit and the courage to overcome the difficulties of engineers, at this time really embarked on the realization of their own values and ambitions of the historical stage. In the face of foreigners, "the Chinese engineer who built the railroad has not yet been born" contempt and ridicule, Zhan Tianyou was also under great pressure, after all, at that time, the project of the hardship, even those who had been in the Chinese land greedily looting the right to build roads, the construction of a number of railroads in the foreign invaders have not grasped.
"If I failed, it would not only be my personal misfortune, but would be the misfortune of all Chinese engineers, and even all Chinese people! In order to prove the wisdom and ambition of the Chinese, I have no choice." It is this bravado, four years of hardship, 1909, shown in front of the world in the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway in the "human" track, 1091 meters of the Badaling Tunnel so that the Chinese people to raise eyebrows, so that foreigners ready to look at the jokes spit out the tongue of embarrassment. As the city's mayor Gao Jinhao said, Mr. Zhan Tianyou left us not only a railroad, but more importantly, he passed on to us the national spirit, national will and national strength.
And what is also exciting for the nation is that this is two years ahead of the project's estimate, and the cost saved 280,000 taels of silver compared with the budget.
"Today's world, non-railway no country. China is a large land ...... in vain to the transportation is inconvenient, the functioning is not effective, the cause is difficult to revitalize." Sun Yat-sen with the ambition of "willing to do 200,000 miles of railroads in the field" September 6, 1912 by train to Zhangjiakou
The beginning of the twentieth century, the storm of the revolution. October 1911, Wuchang Uprising of the gunfire to the land of Zhangqian, Seychelles, the revolutionaries also rallied to respond, but in the enemy's counterattack, the failure of the uprising. But under the enemy's counterattack, the uprising failed. In order to continue to fight with the enemy, the insurgent army *** pushed Zhang Tongsheng, Zhang Ziguang (both Shangyi County) for the insurgent army representatives to Nanjing by car to ask Dr. Sun Yat-sen for advice on future opportunities. After listening to their reports, Dr. Sun Yat-sen for the Seychelles Chahar, Yanbei, Suiyuan comrades in the unfavorable environment to hold an armed uprising to express appreciation and comfort, and encouraged them to say: dry revolution is not afraid of failure, we have to learn a lesson from the failure to build on the success, continue to struggle. After returning to Zhangjiakou, the two of them secretly organized the people to carry out the struggle against Yuan Shikai according to the instruction of Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
On April 1, 1912, under pressure, Sun Yat-sen formally resigned from his post as provisional president and began a long tour of the country, lobbying for livelihoodism and advocating railroad construction. After being appointed by Yuan Shikai "national railroad supervisor", Sun Yat-sen announced "ten years of non-interference in politics", willing to be in the field to build 200,000 miles of railroads. 1912 September 6, complacent Sun Yat-sen from Beijing by train to Zhangjiakou inspection. In the inspection of Zhangjiakou Railway Station, Sun made a speech, highly praised the creation of Zhan Tianyou this amazing work for the glory of the nation, and took pictures with the crowd. After attending the welcome meeting held at the Fuqing Theater, Sun also summoned Zhang Tonsheng and Zhang Ziguang, several local party leaders, inquired about the local situation and encouraged comrades to work hard and not to slacken off because of the establishment of the Republic of China.
After inspecting Zhangjiakou, Sun returned to Beijing by train on the morning of September 8th. At that time, people cheering for him filled the streets.
In May and June 1922, He Mengxiong, the founder of the party organization in Zhangjiakou, developed the first batch of *** members among the activists who emerged from the workers' movement of the Beijing-Suizhou Railway in Zhangjiakou and established the first party group in the city, which gave the workers' movement of the northern railroads a real leading core
With the construction of the Beijing-Suizhou Railway, Sun Yat-sen was able to establish a new party group in Zhangjiakou, which was the first in the city.
With the construction and opening of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway, Zhangjiakou's modern industrial workers were subsequently created.
"Workers are suffering, workers are suffering, workers' pants are torn and no one to mend them"
"The big bellies that don't work are bullying us, get up, get up, form a group! The final victory is ours!"
Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway was built, under the rule of the corrupt Qing government and the Beiyang warlord government, Zhangjiakou's railroad workers, like railroad workers across the country, suffered from cruel exploitation and oppression. Long working hours, labor intensity, poor living conditions, no holidays, no democratic rights in politics, all the freedom of speech, assembly, association, strikes have been deprived of all. They live in more than 100 people crowded together in the shed, laying is broken pockets, covered with sack pieces, head resting on half a head of bricks, summer stench, winter winds, bedbugs, lice, flies, mosquitoes everywhere ...... due to the long period of time to eat no vegetables, many workers got night blindness, in this case, inhumane foreman but also do not beat then scolded.
In fact, from the first day of the working class in Zhangjiakou, they have constantly fought against their oppressors, albeit spontaneously, and only for the purpose of improving their living conditions. one night in the winter of 1918, a young worker, Wang Erleng, stabbed to death the foreman, Zhang Degui, who was gambling with the money of many of his fellow workers, in a case in which the foreman repeatedly demanded his wages. In May 1921, Zhangjiakou Railway workers launched the first strike in the history of the Beijing-Suizhou Railway. Immediately after, Zhangjiakou, Nankou two railroad factory (rolling stock repair plant) workers also carried out against the senior staff of the Department of the Nankou inspector Mao Youde two railroad bullies, and won the struggle.
In September 1921, He Mengxiong came to Zhangjiakou and the Jingsui Railway for an inspection. He went into the sheds and dormitories of the railroad workers, talked with them and investigated their working and living conditions. In the meantime, he propagated Marxist-Leninist ideas among the workers, inspired their ideological consciousness, and called on them to rush to unite and establish organizational groups. He became the first person to combine Marxism-Leninism with the workers' movement in Zhangjiakou, and in May and June 1922, He Mengxiong developed the first batch of ****productivity party members among the activists who emerged from the workers' movement of the Beijing-Suijia Railway in Zhangjiakou. Three of them from Zhangjiakou were Li Ze, Li Liansheng and Zhou Zhensheng. They were all workers in the car section of the Zhangjiakou Railway. Soon a few days later, the first group meeting was held at Old Man Xing's dormitory at Ping'anli Railway Workers' Dormitory in Qiaodong, where He Mengxiong presided over the meeting and formally announced the establishment of the first party group of the workers of the Beijing-Suijia Railway. This was the earliest organization established by the ****Party at that time north of the Great Wall, in the area of Chahar and Suiyuan. In the ensuing struggles, the ****Party gained more and more prestige among the workers.
The rescue of Zhang Jingsheng, a child from Huai'an, by a special van on the night of Dec. 22, 1971, was a microcosm of that era. People's Daily reported on it under the title of "Lifeline", and several magazines published "Lifeline" comic strips based on it, which made this good story of friendship between the working class and the peasant class spread rapidly throughout the country
On the night of December 22, 1971, a young couple came to the Passenger Service Station with a child in their arms to ask for help after the service staff of class C of Zhangjiakou Station's South Station took over the shift. It turned out that they are members of the Huai'an City Commune under the middle peasants, their just fourteen months of their little son let a grain of corn beans stuck in the trachea, due to the lack of a local hospital precision medical equipment, can not be treated, need to be transferred to the Beijing Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Hospital for treatment.
Seeing the child's lips purple, shortness of breath, facial capillaries oozing blood spots, the then passenger duty chief Liu Yurong and the comrades of the team were particularly anxious. At this time, it is 9:00 p.m., the earliest to Beijing direction of the bus will be two hours later. How to do, how to do, anxious Liu Yurong immediately through the party branch to request instructions after the Beijing Railway Dispatch. At this time, even if they let them take the 906 wagons parked in the South Station at that time, but also have to wait for more than 40 minutes, but the railroad line of 11 cars have to make way for him. Let Liu Yurong excited, soon Beijing Railway Dispatch came instructions to immediately send a car to rescue the child, at the same time, the Beijing side while coordinating the work along the railroad line, while looking for a pick-up vehicle for the child.
When everyone was about to send the child and parents on the car, Liu Yurong and a few colleagues knew that they did not bring much money, so they took out all the money they had on them.......
21:17, the 096 special cargo carrying the deep feelings of the working class to the capital direction of the speed of the Liu Yurong has been 7 times with the stations along the line to contact,
3 hours and 40 minutes later, the special wagon from the Seychelles to the capital, a troop military vehicle to pick them up, quickly drove into the Workers' and Peasants' Hospital.
A week later, the small child was successfully discharged from the hospital after being rescued and treated. The child's father went to the commune to speak with gratitude, to the brigade to speak ...... When he came to the station again, he told everyone that the child's name had been changed to Zhang Jingsheng, implying that it was the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway that had given him a second life. Since then, the People's Daily reported the story with "Lifeline", a number of magazines published "Lifeline" comic strips, a good story of friendship between the working class and the peasant class quickly spread across the land outside the Seychelles, spread across the railroad system, spread across the country.
In Zhan Tianyou construction of the entire Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway process, the idea of saving throughout. The construction of the entire railroad less than four years, less than the original plan of two years. In addition, the entire railroad was repaired, *** consumed 6.935 million taels of silver, saving 288,000 taels than the budget. After the completion of the railroad, as Zhan Tianyou thought, trade and commerce, for the development of China's railroad construction played an important role.
Are you going to learn from Zhan Tianyou .