Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, China's First Desert Railway, Opens to Traffic on August 1, 1958

Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, China's first desert railway, opens to traffic on August 1, 1958. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, China's first desert railway, opens to traffic on August 1, 1958

Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, China's first desert railway, opened to traffic on August 1, 1958.

Running from Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to Lanzhou, Gansu Province, the 990-kilometer railway was built through the Tengger Desert for 140 kilometers.

The railway is a major artery linking northern and northwestern China and contributes to economic growth in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province.

Jointly built by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and China Railway Group Limited in the 1950s, the desert railway was constructed with sand prevention and desertification control measures and won the outstanding prize of the 1987 National Science and Technology Progress Awards.

Long March No.1, China's first nuclear submarine, is commissioned on August 1, 1974

Long March No.1 (Hull 401), China's first nuclear submarine, was commissioned on August 1, 1974.

The commissioning confirmed that China's naval vessel manufacturing had entered a new stage and made the country the world's fifth to own a nuclear-powered submarine.

The submarine was 98 meters long and 10 meters wide, with a water-borne displacement of 4,500 tons and a submerged displacement of 5,000 tons. It was equipped with six torpedo tubes and YJ-82(C-802) submarine-launched anti-ship missiles.

Long March No.1 was the first nuclear-powered attack submarine in the PLA Navy and all of its components were designed and manufactured domestically.

Many Chinese central SOEs including China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation contributed to the vessel.

Beijing-Tianjin intercity railway, China's first self-developed high-speed line with internationally leading quality and technology, opens to traffic on August 1, 2008

The Beijing-Tianjin intercity railway, China's first line with complete proprietary intellectual property rights and internationally leading quality and technology, opened to traffic on August 1, 2008.

Built by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and China Railway Group Limited, the intercity railway is a major part of the intercity railway network program for the circum-Bohai Sea region according to the country's Medium-and Long-Term Railway Network Plan.

The railway is 120 kilometers in length and has a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

Operating on the railway are CRH3 electric multiple units (EMUs) manufactured by CRRC Corporation Limited.

Tunnel boring machine "Caiyun", with the largest diameter of its kind in China, is completed in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province on August 1, 2017

The tunnel boring machine (TBM) "Caiyun", with the largest diameter of its kind in China, was completed in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, on August 1, 2017.

The self-developed machine has a 9.03-meter cutter head, the first of that diameter in China.

It played a key role in the construction of tunnels in Gaoligong Mountains and contributed to the building of railroads throughout western Yunnan Province.

The machine also is proof that China has mastered internationally leading technology in TBM manufacturing.

Gonghe-Yushu expressway, the first highway running through permafrost regions in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, opens to traffic on August 1, 2017

The Gonghe-Yushu expressway, the first highway running through permafrost regions in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, opened to traffic on August 1, 2017.

Dubbed "a lifeline to Yushu", the road was designed by China Communications Construction Company Limited, with China Railway Construction Corporation Limited participating in its construction.

The total distance of the highway is 634.8 kilometers, with about 36 percent, or 227 kilometers, in permafrost areas.

Many advanced technical skills such as hot rod technology, with which builders can control the temperature of the frozen earth, were first adopted during its construction and enriched China's engineering experience in this field.

(Executive editor: Hao Wen)