During the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, while families across the country celebrate reunions, a group of railway workers with an average age of just 30 continue to work in the tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province, within the core habitat of Asian elephants along the China-Laos Railway. They are the 29 staff members of the Wild Elephant Valley Comprehensive Maintenance Work Area under the Pu'er Infrastructure Section of CR-Kunming, responsible for safeguarding a 58-kilometer railway section shared with wild elephants. They are affectionately known as the "elephant guardians."
From the initial construction of the China-Laos Railway, the survival needs of Asian elephants were fully considered. Builders adopted a "bridges instead of roads" approach and constructed culverts to reserve dedicated passages for elephants. At the same time, sound barriers were installed and steel-flexible dual-mode protective fences were upgraded, preventing elephants from entering the railway while also avoiding injury to them.
Over the four years since the railway opened, Huang Yunhai and his colleagues have relied on an early warning system to properly handle more than 10 instances of elephant herd activity and have completed over 200 centralized inspections and maintenance tasks for elephant ecological protection facilities. Through their dedication, they ensure the safe and smooth operation of this international transport artery. As an important corridor connecting China and ASEAN countries, the China-Laos Railway has cumulatively transported more than 66 million passengers and over 77 million tons of goods, achieving the dual goal of efficient railway operations and the safety of elephant populations.
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