Toiling away through blankets of sand

Inspiring feat of engineering is being created by construction workers across the desert in Xinjiang

The wind is still blowing in the eastern hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, the second largest mobile desert in the world. The all-invading fine sand particles float in the wind, while the construction site of the desert road from Yuli to Qiemo in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is still roaring with machines. Large bulldozers are lined up to level the sand hills.

According to the China Communications Construction, the desert highway from Yuli to Qiemo has entered the final stage, and the largest sand hill in the project is currently being excavated. It is about 70 meters high, with a sand mass of 1.2 million cubic meters, and the construction takes about three months.

At present, the workers involved in the construction do not seize the duration of relaxation, advancing in an orderly manner, and fighting against the wind in the depths of the vast sea of sand. To facilitate construction, the workers set up the camp beside the sand hills, and live and eat in the desert. Everyday necessities and oil supplies for machinery and equipment are regularly distributed.

The Xinjiang Yuli to Qiemo Desert Highway, with a total length of more than 330 kilometers, is the third highway that runs through the north and south of the Taklimakan Desert. After completion, it will help improve the travel conditions of the people in southern Xinjiang and promote local development.

The Xinjiang Yuli to Qiemo Desert Highway is under construction.

Clockwise from above: Large bulldozers are lined up to level the sand hills; chef Yang Yunming watches the workers take away their meals; the workers rest and chat in their camp. They plant some garlic sprouts in the room.

From top: At the construction site, surveyor Liu Yaojun (right) and his assistant cross a 40-meters- high sand hill; Liu measures and marks a construction line beside the sand hill.

From top: A worker drives a bulldozer to level the sand hill; Li Mingyou climbs the sand dunes at the construction site.