Yunnan-Vietnam Railway

Yunnan-Vietnam Railway

The Yunnan section of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was constructed in 1903 and opened to traffic in 1910. It is China’s third railway and one of the most influential railway projects in the history of both Chinese and global railway construction. Even today, it remains one of the most precious living relics, specimens, and fossils in the development history of railways in China and around the world.

The Yunnan-Vietnam Railway has a track gauge of 1 meter, which is 43.5 centimeters narrower than the standard gauge used in China today, hence it is also known as a "meter-gauge" railway. It is the longest surviving "meter-gauge" railway in China. The total length of the railway is 854 kilometers, with the Yunnan section spanning 465 kilometers (also known as the Kunhe Railway) and the Vietnamese section 389 kilometers. However, the engineering complexity and cost of the Yunnan section far exceeded that of the Vietnamese section. Within the mere 465-kilometer stretch, the railway crosses three major river systems—the Jinsha River, the Pearl River, and the Red River—and traverses three major climate zones: the subtropical monsoon climate with distinct dry and wet seasons, the south subtropical semi-humid climate, and the tropical mountainous monsoon rainforest humid climate. It also passes through 12 ethnic minority settlements. Over 80% of the railway runs through rugged mountains and valleys, featuring 425 bridges and 115 tunnels, accounting for 36% of the total length—roughly one tunnel every 3 kilometers and one bridge or culvert every kilometer. The elevation ranges from 76 meters at Hekou Town to 2,030 meters at Shuitang Station in Chenggong, Kunming, with a maximum height difference of 1,954 meters. In the 44-kilometer stretch between Luogu and Baizhai alone, the elevation difference reaches 1,242 meters, with an average gradient of 20 per thousand—unprecedented in the railway construction history of the time.

Upon its completion, due to its exceptionally daring design and massive scale, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was hailed by the British newspaper *The Times* as one of the "three great engineering marvels of the world," alongside the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. Yet, this very "engineering marvel" came at an enormous and heartbreaking cost to the Chinese people, especially those in Yunnan—a cost that can only be described as shocking and unbearable to recount.

During the construction of the railway, French colonizers subjected Chinese laborers to extremely brutal and inhumane enslavement and oppression. Since the railway mostly ran through high mountains and steep ridges, a large workforce was required. In addition to exploiting ethnic laborers from Yunnan, contractors also recruited large numbers of workers from provinces such as Hebei, Shandong, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Over the seven-year construction period, the total number of laborers exceeded 200,000 to 300,000, with daily labor forces ranging from 30,000 to 60,000. To ensure an adequate labor supply, the railway contractor, the Indochina Railway Construction Company, colluded with the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou and the Bureau of Westernization to levy labor quotas across Yunnan. In Chuxiong Prefecture, for example, it was mandated that all males over the age of 18 must serve as railway laborers for one year; those who refused would have their hands tied behind their backs and be escorted under armed guard, with those resisting facing execution. In December of the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign (January 1907), Shen Zuyan, a candidate official from Hunan, was ordered to investigate the construction sites along the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway. Based on his firsthand observations, he reported to the Qing court: "The foreign contractors supervised the workers harshly, conducting roll calls twice daily. Even brief rest periods resulted in wage deductions, and any dissatisfaction led to immediate beatings. Fatigue invited being struck with clubs. Such abuse treated workers as less than human." Even local Yunnan officials had to admit, "This railway was truly built with the flesh and blood of our people."

How many Chinese lost their lives during the construction? That number is now impossible to determine, though French official statistics cite 12,000 deaths. Edgar Snow wrote in his work *Red Star Over China*: "This is an extraordinary railway. The legend that for every mile of track laid within China, one Chinese laborer died is entirely credible." In fact, that estimate is conservative. Local folklore suggests the death toll was 70,000 to 80,000. Contemporary French newspapers referred to the construction of the Faux Namti Viaduct (also known as the "Zhizhi Bridge") as "dancing above death." The bridge might as well have been built on a foundation of bones.

The opening of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway brought enormous profits to the French. Yet, despite being a testament to national humiliation and soaked in the bitter tears of the Chinese people, one fact remains unchanged: it broke Yunnan’s isolation, accelerated its modernization, profoundly impacted Yunnanese society, and made immeasurable contributions to the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan.

The segment of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway passing through Kaiyuan stretches 59 kilometers, starting from Longtanshan at Xiaolongtan in the north to the junction with Mengzi Caoba in Yangjie to the south. The Kaiyuan section of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway began operations in 1909, handling both passenger and freight transport. Due to its heavy traffic, Kaiyuan historically became a prosperous transportation hub. Along the approximately 59-kilometer route, the Kaiyuan section features structures such as the Rensanzhong San Kong Qiao (Three-Hole Bridge), Muhuaguo Dahua Qiao (Big Flower Bridge), Yangren Fen (Foreigners’ Grave), the French-style Kaiyuan Railway Station (including the former site of the Batou Office, Building 226, and the old locomotive shed), the former site of the French Hospital, the Xiaolongtan French Railway Bridge, and the Yulinshan Qikong Qiao (Seven-Hole Bridge). Among these, three sites are designated as municipal cultural heritage protection units: the French-style Kaiyuan Railway Station (including the former Batou Office, Building 226, and the old locomotive shed), the former French Hospital, and the Xiaolongtan French Railway Bridge, managed respectively by the Kaiyuan Land and Housing Management Sub-bureau of the Kunming Railway Bureau, the Fourth People’s Hospital of Honghe Prefecture, and the Kaiyuan Track Maintenance Section of the Kunming Railway Bureau. Two sites are listed as municipal cultural heritage units: the Yulinshan Qikong Qiao and the Yangren Fen.

— Kaiyuan Railway Station Buildings. The Kaiyuan Railway Station buildings are uniformly French-style, with a comprehensive range of functions, arranged along a north-south street commonly called "Yang Zheng Jie" (Foreigners’ Street, now Caiyun Road). On the west side of the street stand two-story buildings housing French managerial staff, along with a clubhouse for leisure and entertainment and a foreign-style hotel for dignitaries. The east side hosts station operational facilities such as the station building, stationmaster’s office, locomotive shed, and turntable. The northern end includes administrative offices like the general manager’s office and the French hospital, while the southern end houses the Annam Primary School. Throughout the seasons, the area is shaded by dense foliage, with yellow walls and red roofs creating a distinctly Western ambiance, making it a cultural leisure spot for locals. With modernization, most of the French-style buildings at Kaiyuan Railway Station have been demolished, leaving only the "Batou Office," the locomotive shed, and four two-story buildings.

— Former Site of the Batou Office. The former Batou Office is located at the northern end of Caiyun Road in Kaiyuan City. Originally the office of the French station manager Batou at the Kaiyuan Railway Station on the Yunnan section of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, it was commonly called the "Batou Office." It later served as the "Kaiyuan Railway Industrial Company" and the "Retirement Management Office for Kunming Railway Bureau Kaiyuan Branch Staff," and currently functions as the "Retirement Management Office for Kunming Railway Bureau."

— Former Site of the Locomotive Shed. The former locomotive shed is located between Buildings 27 and 28 in the second section of the railway along the northern part of Caiyun Road. Situated near the north locomotive bay of Kaiyuan Railway Station, it is commonly referred to as the "North Locomotive Bay." Built in 1909, the shed features three parallel railway tracks capable of holding six locomotives simultaneously. It also included a repair workshop equipped with one planer, three lathes, and one shaper for routine maintenance. The locomotive shed is the earliest, largest in span, and broadest steel-frame industrial building in Kaiyuan. In December 1915, former Yunnan Governor Cai E escaped house arrest under Yuan Shikai, traveled via Vietnam, and took the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway back to Yunnan to launch the National Protection Movement. When passing through Kaiyuan, Yuan’s agents attempted to assassinate him, but Cai E took refuge in the locomotive shed and survived. After steam locomotives were phased out in 1985, the shed was repurposed as the Kaiyuan Railway Branch Emergency Response Unit, and later as a small agency garage.

— Building 226. Building 226 is located at the northern end of Caiyun Road at Kaiyuan Railway Station, with the railway designation 226. Originally the residence of the head of the French locomotive depot, it was later used as staff housing by the Kaiyuan Railway Branch, with balconies sealed off to create kitchens and doors added to the east and west gables.

— Former Site of the French Hospital. With the operation of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, the French established a hospital at Kaiyuan Railway Station, commonly known as the French Hospital. It primarily served railway employees and local elites. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, it was renamed the Railway Hospital, then the Railway Clinic after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In 1958, it became the Kaiyuan Railway Hospital, gradually developing into a comprehensive, multi-department hospital.

— Water Tower. The water tower, still standing within the former French Hospital site, was built in 1910 and stands 20 meters tall. It is made of concrete, with a circular reservoir on top measuring 7 meters in diameter and holding 60 cubic meters of water. In 1991, the Kaiyuan Railway Branch constructed a new 32-meter-high inverted cone-shaped high-level water tower, after which the old tower was decommissioned, and its deep well pump room was filled in. The structure remains largely intact.

— Former Site of the Hospital Director’s Office. The former director’s office is part of the former French Hospital site, designated as Building 208 on Caiyun Road’s northern end. The French Hospital was built in 1910 to serve Yunnan-Vietnam Railway employees. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it was renamed the Kaiyuan Railway Hospital, and in 2006, following medical system reforms, it became the Fourth People’s Hospital of Honghe Prefecture.

— Former Site of the Outpatient Department. The outpatient department is another part of the former French Hospital site, designated as Building 205. The building faces south, with two stories; its structure and windows remain largely intact. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Kaiyuan Railway Hospital used it as housing for staff families and young workers.

— Former Site of the Inpatient Department. The inpatient department is also part of the former French Hospital site, designated as Building 207. After the establishment of the Kaiyuan Railway Hospital, it was converted into family housing, and by the 1990s, it was repurposed as space for the equipment department.

— Xiaolongtan French Railway Bridge. The Xiaolongtan French Railway Bridge is a through-type steel truss bridge designed and built by the French company Batignolles. It is 110.40 meters long and was completed on April 15, 1909. The main bridge structure consists of a metal truss, 52.4 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, and 5.12 meters high. Stone arch approach bridges extend from both ends: the southern approach is 42 meters long with three arches, and the northern approach is 17 meters long with a single arch. As one of the critical strategic points of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, it holds significant military and economic importance.

— Seven-Hole Bridge. The Seven-Hole Bridge is located at 249 kilometers + 715 meters on the Kunhe Line, atop Yulin Mountain, and is a representative of high-elevation stone arch bridges. Designed and built by the French company Batignolles in 1908, it is 95.8 meters long, 4.4 meters wide, with a gradient of 21 per thousand. Each arch spans 10 meters, with piers ranging from 21 meters to 14 meters in height, giving the bridge an elegant and graceful form.

— Yangren Fen (Foreigners’ Grave). Located next to the plastic factory of Kaihua Group Co., Ltd. in Kaiyuan, the Yangren Fen is the cemetery for French managers and Vietnamese employees of the Yunnan section of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway. It measures 62 meters north-south and 45 meters east-west, covering an area of 2,790 square meters. Graves face west with heads and east with feet, constructed from poured concrete with arched tops 179 centimeters long and 56 centimeters wide, each bearing a small, fan-shaped epitaph in the center noting the deceased’s name and burial date. Graves are arranged in rows running north-south (spaced 73–93 cm apart) and columns running east-west (spaced about 140 cm apart). The southern section mostly holds French burials, while the northern section contains more Vietnamese graves. The cemetery is surrounded by a wall about 1 meter high, with a French-style gatehouse at the eastern entrance and a domed stone structure at the western end for commemorating the dead. After the construction of the Kaihua Factory in 1958, a road was cut through the cemetery’s center, damaging its integrity. During the Cultural Revolution, workers excavated the site as evidence of imperialism, destroying many graves. Later, the plastic factory used the cemetery as a soil dump and eventually sold the land for private farming, further damaging the tombs.

— Rensanzhong San Kong Qiao (Three-Hole Bridge). Located at 248 kilometers + 418 meters on the Kunhe Line, the Rensanzhong San Kong Qiao is a representative low-elevation stone arch bridge, designed and built by the French in 1909. Spanning the Jiuxingzhai Valley, it is constructed from block stones, measuring 48 meters long, 3.65 meters wide, and 5.44 meters high. Each arch spans 9.95 meters with a height of 4 meters. The piers are conical, extending 1.63 meters, 3.08 meters wide, and 1.3 meters high, adding to the bridge’s sturdiness.

— Muhuaguo Dahua Qiao (Big Flower Bridge). Located at 246 kilometers + 666 meters on the Kunhe Line, the Muhuaguo Dahua Qiao is a representative through-type steel truss bridge, spanning the Lujiang River from north to south. Designed and built by the French company Batignolles on March 8, 1909, it is 52.4 meters long with a single span, classified as a "tubular bridge" where the track passes through. Its main truss is 5.12 meters high, with upper and lower horizontal bracings connected by a four-grid lattice truss, giving the bridge its distinctive grid-like geometric pattern—hence its folk name, the "Big Flower Bridge."

The impact of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway on Kaiyuan was comprehensive and profound, propelling the city into a modernized historical trajectory. The 58.43-kilometer segment of the railway passing through Kaiyuan, from Longtanshan at Xiaolongtan in the north to the border with Mengzi Caoba in Yangjie to the south, opened in 1909. Kaiyuan Railway Station lies at the midpoint of the Yunnan section, making it a necessary stop for travelers heading north or south, thus establishing Kaiyuan as the only secondary station on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway.

First, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway ushered in a second historical peak of development for Kaiyuan. After its completion, Kaiyuan became a thriving transportation hub. With improved transit, the city’s natural and mineral resources were fully developed. Numerous state-owned and private enterprises from Kunming, Gejiu, and Wenshan established branches and cargo yards in Kaiyuan, attracting businesses from across the province and beyond. A range of handicraft industries emerged, rapidly transforming Kaiyuan into a key base for chemical energy and building materials in Yunnan. Influenced by Western civilization brought via the railway, Kaiyuan launched electric light companies, and government-invested ventures like hydropower and sugar production flourished. An industrial-focused development pattern took root, laying the foundation for Kaiyuan’s later role as a chemical, building material, and energy hub for Yunnan, as well as a logistics center for southern goods.

Second, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway brought an intellectual awakening to Kaiyuan, profoundly transforming local mindsets. Under the influence of the French presence, ordinary residents began adopting Western goods like matches, soap, shampoo, and kerosene, gradually replacing traditional handmade items. In marriage customs, prior to the railway, weddings followed traditional rites involving elaborate attire, horseback rides, sedan chairs, and formal ceremonies. Post-railway, Western-style weddings in bridal gowns became common. In architecture, locals admired the more scientific and rational designs of Western-style buildings, leading to changes in home construction, particularly in lighting and materials. Fashion shifted too—expensive traditional ethnic headwear gave way to imported towels. Sports were also influenced, as football matches introduced by the French and Vietnamese popularized the sport locally. Culturally, the French established clubs and hosted weekend dances, familiarizing Kaiyuanners with Western ballroom dancing early on. Tourism-wise, the surviving French-style architecture now serves as unique cultural attractions—all shaping the lives of Kaiyuan’s residents.

Kaiyuanners often say their city is a "city pulled by trains," underscoring the immense impact of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway.

Address: China Honghe Tourism Website