Zambia on Monday held a groundbreaking ceremony to
commence construction of a memorial park on two hectares in Chongwe district of
Lusaka Province to commemorate the Chinese who died during the construction of
the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA).
The ceremony was attended by both Zambian and
Chinese government officials, including Zambia’s first President Kenneth Kaunda
and China’s Minister of Veteran Affairs Sun Shaocheng.
The Chinese minister said about 50,000 Chinese
workers at the time came to Africa to work in various projects and worked hard
despite harsh conditions.
He said Zambia and China have never forgotten the
sacrifice of the martyrs, adding that their sacrifice to duty will motivate the
two countries to work harder to cement their ties.
China, he said, was committed to making joint
efforts with Zambia to carry forward the spirit of TAZARA and collaborate more
in various areas for a shared future.
Li Jie, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, said: “In
order to permanently commemorate the Chinese heroes who sacrificed their lives
in Zambia and the history of friendly cooperation between China and Zambia,
through friendly consultations, our two governments have decided to build a
TAZARA memorial park.”
The Chinese envoy said the memorial park will be a
history book for the younger generation of the two countries and that once
completed, it will be a free park open to all and will also become a new landmark
building to promote tourism.
Kaunda said Zambia will never forget the sacrifice
shown by China over the years and that the southern African nation will forever
be grateful. The park will act as a symbol of enhanced cooperation between the
two countries.
Zambian President Edgar Lungu commended the
collaborative efforts of the two countries to construct the memorial park,
saying it shows the unwavering relations between the two countries.
The president commended Chinese nationals who died during the construction of the railway line, adding that it was appropriate that a tribute was paid to them through the construction of the memorial park.
