Yunnan-Burma Railway
Encyclopedia
The Yunnan–Burma Railway (alternatively: Burma-Yunnan Railway) was a failed British project to connect far south-west China's Yunnan
province with the recently established rail network in British occupied Burma.
that had been established on the nearby Hanoi
to Kunming
route from 1904–1910, some 30 years earlier. To secure the rights to construction, Britain referred to Article IV of the Anglo-French Siam Convention for 'mutual privileges'.
In 1898 there are references in the British Hansard
regarding possible construction of the line.
Archibald John Little's 1905 book The Far East mentions the proposed route on page 124:
The 1911 Leo Borgholz, the US Consul General in Canton
, published a trade report entitled 'Yunnan Trade Districts and Routes', in which he mentions that the British appeared to have shelved the project for lack of financial viability.
In 1938, Edward Michael Law-Yone travelled to Yunnan from his native Burma to see the proposed route.
mallet-type articulated engines were ordered from the American ALCO company, and American promised to supply steel for the construction effort.
An article by Royal Arch Gunnison published in the San Francisco Chronicle
on Thursday, November 27, 1941 stated that American Engineers still expected "12 to 15 months to complete" the railway, described a Dr Victor Haas of the American Public Health Service as in charge of sanitation and Malaria prevention.
Additional American personnel such as Paul Stevenson
accepted commissions with the United States Public Health Service
and were sent to assist with malaria control during the construction effort.
ese advances, and was never resumed. Burma's limited trading value to China and its internal political and military instability have probably been two major contributing factors.
One such sign can be glimpsed opposite the ferry to Baodian, slightly south of Manwan in the far north-eastern section of Lincang prefecture. The sign records a tunnel from the construction, but the entry has long been covered over and there is no visual hint to the line's presence whatsoever.
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
province with the recently established rail network in British occupied Burma.
History and Politics
The British project was working against the background of the successful French Yunnan-Vietnam RailwayYunnan-Vietnam Railway
The Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is a 855 km railway built by France during 1904-1910, connecting Haiphong, Vietnam with Kunming, Yunnan province, China. The section within China from Kunming to Hekou is known as the Kunming-Hekou Railway, and is 466 km long. The section within Vietnam...
that had been established on the nearby Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
to Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
route from 1904–1910, some 30 years earlier. To secure the rights to construction, Britain referred to Article IV of the Anglo-French Siam Convention for 'mutual privileges'.
Planning and surveying
Maria Bugrova's article The British expeditions to China in XIX century discusses the question of a railway to Yunnan from Burma.- In the 80-s of the XIX century Great Britain drawn special attention to the Upper Burma's region and the roads to south-western China. The former colonial officer of British Burma's administration Colquhoun A.R. and engineer of Civil Works Department in India H.Hallett went on travels in 1882 from Canton to Rangoon. Returned to England Colquhoun A.R. sent his proposal to Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerceA chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
of Great Britain to investigate the question of railway building between Rangoon and south-western China through Shan states. His proposal was approved by Chambers. According to preliminary calculation the cost of works was about seven thousand pound sterling, one half of this amount must be presented by Chambers of Commerce, and another part must be contributed by the Government.
- In the end of 1884 Hallett and Colquhoun received 3,5 thousand of pounds from Chambers of Commerce for investigation of railway building. They found important information about climate, population, minerals. They drawn special attention to liking. From their point of view penetration of British goods into China depended on amount of this tax. The difficulty of liking question substantially explained British traders' interest in railway building. In case of this building it’d be possible to avoid the payment of liking transferring goods to internal China. Colquhoun daily telegraphed to The Times about its expedition.
In 1898 there are references in the British Hansard
Hansard
Hansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.-Origins:...
regarding possible construction of the line.
Archibald John Little's 1905 book The Far East mentions the proposed route on page 124:
- A railway, starting from MandalayMandalayMandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
, goes north-east to the bank of the Salwin which is to be crossed at Kunlong Ferry in latitude 23 degrees 20', whence, if ever built, it is to be taken north in Chinese territory and run parallel with the prevailing strike of the mountains, due north to Tali-fuDali-Places:*Dali City, Yunnan , a city in Yunnan province in the People's Republic of China*Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture , prefecture in Yunnan, China*Kingdom of Dali , centered in modern Yunnan...
; but this line will pass through a wild thinly-peopled country and it is doubtful if a private company will be found to build it.
The 1911 Leo Borgholz, the US Consul General in Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, published a trade report entitled 'Yunnan Trade Districts and Routes', in which he mentions that the British appeared to have shelved the project for lack of financial viability.
In 1938, Edward Michael Law-Yone travelled to Yunnan from his native Burma to see the proposed route.
Construction
By 1938 construction had begun. In 1941 25 meter-gauge 2-8-8-22-8-8-2
.A 2-8-8-2, in the Whyte notation for describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, is an articulated locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. The equivalent UIC classification is, refined to Mallet locomotives, D1...
mallet-type articulated engines were ordered from the American ALCO company, and American promised to supply steel for the construction effort.
An article by Royal Arch Gunnison published in the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
on Thursday, November 27, 1941 stated that American Engineers still expected "12 to 15 months to complete" the railway, described a Dr Victor Haas of the American Public Health Service as in charge of sanitation and Malaria prevention.
Additional American personnel such as Paul Stevenson
Paul Stevenson
Paul Joseph Stevenson OAM is an Australian psychologist and a recognised authority within the fields of psychological trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, stress management and psychological recovery from disaster incidents....
accepted commissions with the United States Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service
The Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
and were sent to assist with malaria control during the construction effort.
Abortion
Unfortunately, it seems that construction of the line was abandoned due to JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese advances, and was never resumed. Burma's limited trading value to China and its internal political and military instability have probably been two major contributing factors.
Legacy
Today the Yunnan side of the line lies in ruin. Though signs here and there attest to its presence, there is little actual rail left, and the line has all but vanished from local history and barely graces itineraries of all but the most determined travellers.One such sign can be glimpsed opposite the ferry to Baodian, slightly south of Manwan in the far north-eastern section of Lincang prefecture. The sign records a tunnel from the construction, but the entry has long been covered over and there is no visual hint to the line's presence whatsoever.
See also
- The Burma - Yunnan Railway. Chandran, J. Papers in International Southeast Asia Series #21. Ohio University Center for International Studies, Southeast Asian Program, 1971.
- Joseph Warren Stilwell Papers. Box/Folder: 27:15, 33:47. (online reference)
- Yunnan-Vietnam RailwayYunnan-Vietnam RailwayThe Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is a 855 km railway built by France during 1904-1910, connecting Haiphong, Vietnam with Kunming, Yunnan province, China. The section within China from Kunming to Hekou is known as the Kunming-Hekou Railway, and is 466 km long. The section within Vietnam...
- Burma RoadBurma RoadThe Burma Road is a road linking Burma with the southwest of China. Its terminals are Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. When it was built, Burma was a British colony.The road is long and runs through rough mountain country...
External links
- Burma Banshees - photo of the line under construction.