Tazara was not the first construction work China carried out in Africa, but the symbolism of China-Africa friendship during hard times created by this railway is irreplaceable and has been treasured by the two peoples for nearly half a century.

It played a vital role in breaking the economic isolation of the east African country and building bridges between countries at the time, but it also suffered a negative effect later because of the country's controversial mismanagement.

"We could see the significance the railway could play in the future and we have never left," said Wang Lei, general manager of China Civil Engineering Construction Corp in East Africa, whose predecessor was the foreign aid office of the Ministry of Railways of China in the 1960s and 70s, which built this railway over a 10-year period.