by Xinhua writer Hua Hongli

DAR ES SALAAM, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Buried in Tanzania, their names never fade.

On a rainy April morning in Dar es Salaam, two men stood silently on the cemetery's edge. Neither flinched as the drizzle soaked their shirts nor shifted as the national anthems of China and Tanzania rose into the sky.

It was the start of a solemn ceremony to honor 70 Chinese engineers, technicians, and workers who sacrificed their lives during the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and now rest far from home, beneath Tanzanian soil.

Saidi Omari Mpauka and Msafiri Omari are caretakers of the Chinese expert cemetery, employed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) East Africa Ltd.

"To these fallen heroes, honor," said Mpauka, laying a wreath before one of the graves. "May your souls rest in eternal peace."

"Let today not only be about remembrance, but about renewing our promise to carry forward the spirit of Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)," said Omari.

Besides Mpauka and Omari, staff from the Chinese embassy, Tanzanian officials, members of the Chinese community, and local citizens stood nearby. The gathering also coincided with the Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese occasion for paying tribute to the deceased and remembering ancestors.

Before the wreaths were laid, Yang Ting, a CCECC East Africa staff member, stepped forward, recounting the stories of those fallen heroes.

"The youngest among the martyrs, Jin Chengwei, was not yet 22 when he died," said the soft-spoken Yang, her voice trembling. "Li Jingpu, a tunnel team leader, passed away just after receiving a pair of cloth shoes mailed by his wife, but he never got to wear them. He left nine handwritten letters from Africa to his family back home."

At that moment, emotion transcended language and life, as it flowed across the cemetery's stillness and into the rhythm of the falling rain.

Yang's speech continued as the drizzle lingered. In the silence, it was as if the distant sound of a train echoed through the earth, a low, steady memory of steel and sacrifice. The line they built still runs, and their legacy remains.

Zhang Xiaozhen, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, was among those who placed white flowers on the tombstones.

"Careful," she whispered to a student volunteer beside her. "Don't step on the grass." She bowed down to place a flower at one grave, her fingers resting lightly on the cold stone. Her lips moved, but nothing was said aloud, only a silent "thank you."

Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Chinese embassy in Tanzania Wang Yong and Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Transport David Kihenzile bore the same quiet expression as the drizzle continued.

"TAZARA is more than a railway," Kihenzile said. "It is a monument of true friendship between China, Tanzania, and Zambia. This was the first overseas project of its kind, and we must ensure its story lives on."

Wang echoed the sentiment. "The fallen experts as heroes," he said. "Their legacy continues to symbolize China-Tanzania and China-Africa friendship. They will live forever in the hearts of the Chinese and Tanzanian people, just as the TAZARA railway stands as a testament to their efforts."

Bruno Ching'andu, managing director of TAZARA, reminded the crowd that the line was completed in 1975, after five years of toil under some of the harshest conditions imaginable. "We see their spirit in every train that runs, in every ton of cargo moved, in every journey made possible by their sacrifice."

Five decades later, the memory remains alive.

"They overcame natural obstacles, shortages, and disease," said Wang Lei, deputy general manager of CCECC East Africa. "They built something greater than infrastructure. They built trust, with sweat, and in some cases, with their lives."

The TAZARA railway, known as the "Uhuru Railway" or "Independent Railway," was constructed as a turnkey project between 1970 and 1975 through an interest-free loan from China. Commercial operations started in July 1976, covering 1,860 km from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.

"This isn't just history," Msafiri, the cemetery keeper, concluded. "This is a promise that we remember and continue."

The rain kept falling, echoing the quiet vow made by all who live. The journey once paved in sweat and sacrifice would never be forgotten. Enditem