【History of Haichuan Pipelines】Yunnan-Myanmar Oil and Gas Pipeline: China’s first oil pipeline

I. Background of construction: The Burma Road was built specifically at the end of 1937, and it was opened to traffic in August of the following year. Various military supplies and industrial necessities, including gasoline, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, mechanical equipment, tires, medical drugs, cotton yarn, cloth, communication equipment, and more, provided by the Allies, were continuously supplied to China. In 1942, the Japanese forces invaded Burma and cut off the Burma-Yunnan Highway. China and the United States established an air corridor, the Hump Route; every drop of gasoline came at a high cost. The Allied forces spared no effort to build an oil pipeline from India to China, thereby completely resolving the problem of insufficient fuel in China’s war zone.

II. Progress of construction: In August 1943, China, the United States, and Britain finalized the details for the China-India oil pipeline project. It was agreed that the United States would provide funding while China, India, and Burma would contribute labor. The pipeline was to start in Kolkata, India, and run through Tingjiang, Ledao, Mizina, Bhamo, and Wanming before reaching Kunming in China, with a total length of 3,218 kilometers – making it the longest oil pipeline in the world at that time. Construction within China was carried out by workers from Yunnan; the first phase covered the route from Baoshan to Yunnanyi, with a length of over 300 kilometers, and involved the mobilization of more than 60,000 workers； The second phase ran from Xiangyun to Kunming, also covering a length of over 300 kilometers, and involved the recruitment of 45,000 laborers. Within just 7 months after its completion, the pipeline transported over 100,000 tons of fuel to China, a volume that exceeded that transported by road along the Yunnan-Burma Road in 1.5 years. Until the end of the war, it ensured an adequate supply of fuel for the China-India-Myanmar theater as well as other battlefields, and also met the fuel needs of the U.S. Air Forces’ 14th and 20th Air Fleets, thereby accelerating the progress toward victory in the war.

In October 1943, the China-India oil pipeline construction began. At this time, the China-India highway, which was built first, is still under intense construction; according to the plan, the dedicated oil transportation route between China and India will be constructed along this highway. 3. The arduous construction process: After the start of the China-India pipeline project, builders from countries such as China, the United States, Myanmar, and India worked together to carry out construction along the long route. Due to its mountainous and jungle-like terrain, there are many difficulties to overcome, with transporting materials being the biggest challenge. The materials for laying oil pipes are first shipped from the United States to India, and then loaded onto vehicles for transport along the China-India highway. Trucks running at full load on mountain roads experience astonishing rapid depreciation; a braking system becomes unusable after just one month of use. When encountering a cliff that the truck cannot cross, it is necessary to rely on human effort to carry the equipment by hand, crossing mountains and ridges to deliver it to its destination.

In May 1944, construction progressed between Shwe Pyi Thar and Dinggak in Burma, with engineers having to cross more than 20 kilometers of swampy terrain before the rainy season arrived. During the day, the China-India highway is used to transport large quantities of military supplies needed at the front lines; therefore, the troops responsible for laying the pipelines can only transport them at night. Engineers and laborers load the pipelines onto trucks to transport them across bridges, then carry them on their shoulders through waist-deep mud, connect the pipelines in small boats, and finally sink them into the swamp.

Lacking machinery, Chinese workers laid the tracks almost entirely by hand; their hardworking spirit impressed the American technicians greatly. In an environment free of water, salt, and vegetables, the American personnel ate canned food, while the Chinese workers ate steamed buns and rice balls. In areas far from the villages and roads, where it was not possible to return for the night, the American personnel set up tents, while the Chinese workers kept warm by the fire and continued to work diligently with full energy the next day.

On January 20, 1945, the Chinese Expeditionary Force launched a military offensive and drove the Japanese forces out of Wanding. Not long after, the Western Yunnan Expeditionary Force and the Chinese forces stationed in India met successfully in the northern Burmese town of Mangyou near Wan Town, thereby completing the construction of the China-India highway. After the road connecting China and India was opened, both China and the United States accelerated the construction of oil pipelines. On May 5, 1945, exactly one and a half years after work on the pipelines began, the oil pipeline linking China and India was completed. The entire pipeline is equipped with 35 pumping stations and 50 oil storage tanks, spanning a total length of over 3,218 kilometers. It was not only China’s first refined oil pipeline but also the longest such pipeline in the world at that time.