Photo shows a train drawn by a steam on the Baizhai Bridge on the Kunming-Hekou Railway. [File photo]

Photo from blog of Zhang Yongqiang shows the steam train using on meter gauge railway (in Kunming Railway Museum). [File photo]

Kunming will build a theme park for Yunnan–Vietnam Railway to mark the important role the road has played in the history.

Yunnan–Vietnam Railway, also known as Sino-Vietnamese Railway, is an 855 km railway built by France during 1904-1910, connecting Haiphong, Vietnam with Kunming, Yunnan province, China. The section within China from Kunming to Hekou is known as the Kunming-Hekou Railway, and is 466 km long. The section within Vietnam is 389 km long. The railway used 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3?8 in) gauge due to the mountainous terrain along the route. The railway was opened in 1910. There was a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge branch line from Jijie to Gejiu which operated 0-10-0 tender locos built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The meter gauge section was originally administered in more or less the same way as the Indochinese networks, and it was physically possible for through trains to run from Kunming to Singapore, as meter gauge was used in Malaya as well.

The theme park will be settled in Dianchi National Tourism Resort in Kunming, covering an area of about 1,500 mu. Investment in the theme park is expected to reach RMB 2 billion yuan. Construction will start this year and expected to be finished in 2013.

A French designer will draw up blueprints for the theme park which will show the history, culture, folk custom, scenery and status of Yunnan–Vietnam Railway.

Zhang Jie(张杰), the spokesman of Dianchi National Tourism Resort introduced: “History of Yunnan–Vietnam Railway has influenced Yunnan, even China, and revealed the precious spiritual wealth for later generations. I believe the theme park will become a new travel spot in Yunnan".