The Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway_Joseph PhamThe Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway_Joseph Pham

At the start of the 1900s, there was a scramble to build railroads in imperial China by the major European powers to earn money, gain provisional control, and extract riches

The Xinjiang region has been in a constant battle for control by the Soviets and the Chinese for many decades. In the final major conflict for control occurred from 1944 to 1949 as a Soviet-backed rebellion, known as the Ili Rebellion, was erupting in the Xinjiang region. After the rebellion between the Soviets and the Republic of China with the Republic of China victorious. However, a new Chinese party, People’s Republic of China, took control of not only the previous government but also inherited the new Xinjiang province. Similar to the plans to expand to the Tibetan Plateau the PRC ushered new plans that push under the guise of economic stability to the region, but also further establish control due to easier access into the Uyghur heartlands. Construction for the main line started from Lanzhou to Xinjiang began in 1952 and took 10 years to be completed in 1962.