“我们在海外搭建一座座联结世界的通道”丨00后出海记
October found no trace of winter in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. On Shota Rustaveli Street, a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) bus pulled up slowly, and passengers got on and off in an orderly manner as instructed. This route, Uzbekistan’s first BRT line, saw its smooth operation marking the official opening to traffic of the Phase I Tashkent Municipal Road Upgrading and Renovation Project, which was undertaken by China State Construction Fifth Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CSCEC 5th Bureau").
10月，乌兹别克斯坦首都塔什干尚未入冬。肖塔鲁斯塔韦利街上，一辆BRT（快速公交系统）公交车缓缓驶来，乘客们按指引有序上下车。这条线路，是乌兹别克斯坦首条BRT线路，它的顺利运行，标志着由中国建筑第五工程局有限公司（下称“中建五局”）承建的塔什干市政道路提升改造项目（一期）正式通车。
"What a smooth and straight road!" Hearing this praise from Valentin, a local resident, Zou Xianlong and Xu Zhihang—the only two post-2000s members on the project team—were filled with pride.
“这条路平整笔直！”听到当地人瓦连京的夸赞，项目团队里仅有的两个“00后”——邹仙龙和徐志航，心中满是自豪。
Ten thousand kilometers away, in Pointe-Noire, the largest port city of the Republic of the Congo, Qian Jiali, another post-2000s young professional, was bustling about with work. As the chief translator and general administrator of the Republic of the Congo National Highway No.4 Renovation, Restoration and Upgrading Project, she had already integrated herself well with local residents by virtue of her solid language proficiency. Meanwhile, in Anuradhapura, the capital of Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, Luo Junzhi, also a post-2000s worker, had come to understand the profound significance of the country’s livelihood project—the "South-to-North Water Diversion"—through his day-to-day perseverance.
一万公里之外，在刚果（布）最大港口城市黑角市，同为“00后”的钱嘉丽正忙碌着。作为刚果（布）国家四号路整治修复及升级改造项目的主翻译兼综合管理员，她凭着扎实的语言优势，早已和当地民众打成一片。而在斯里兰卡北中省首府阿努拉达普拉，“00后”罗竣支用日复一日的坚守，读懂了该国“南水北调”民生工程的深层意义。
These post-2000s young people, scattered across the globe, are joining hands with their seniors to tackle overseas infrastructure projects head-on. In harsh and complex environments, they are building one bridge after another that connect the world, and delivering tangible results for China-foreign cooperation through their concrete actions.
这些散落在世界各地的“00后”，与前辈们一道，接力“死磕”海外基建项目。在艰苦复杂的环境里，他们搭建起一座座联结世界的通道，用行动书写中外合作的务实答卷。
"Let’s Go Overseas!"
“走，去海外！”
If he had not chosen to work overseas, Luo Junzhi might have stayed in Chongqing for good. Born in 2002, this young man from Chongqing graduated from Chongqing Jiaotong University with a degree in Civil Engineering. As his parents had expected, he would have taken a stable job in his hometown.
如果不出海，罗竣支或许会一直待在重庆。这个2002年出生的重庆男孩毕业于重庆交通大学土木工程专业，按照父母的预期，他会留在家乡，做一份安稳的工作。
But Luo thought otherwise. "Your son has to go out and see the world," he told his parents.
但罗竣支不这么想。“你们的儿子总要出去看一看。”他和父母说。
Today, he sits in an office in Sri Lanka, coordinating commercial matters and subcontracting settlements with three local employees of the Elahera Canal Diversion Tunnel Project.
如今，他端坐在斯里兰卡的办公室里，和埃勒黑勒运河引水隧洞项目3名当地雇员协调商务和分包结算工作。
With nearly one year of overseas work experience under his belt, Luo has gained a deeper understanding of "how young people can pursue their own life values". "Upon completion, the project will provide irrigation water for millions of mu of farmland along the route and domestic water for 370,000 households. I have found my life’s direction here," he said.
海外工作即将满一年，罗竣支对“年轻人如何追寻自身的价值”有了更深的理解，“工程完工后可为沿线百万亩农田提供灌溉水源，为37万户家庭提供生活用水，我在这里找到了奔赴的方向”。
Born in 2000, Zou Xianlong and Xu Zhihang also decided to venture overseas this year. In July, the two arrived in Uzbekistan one after another. When talking about the reason for working abroad, both spoke with the distinctive candor of post-2000s young people: "We are young and have no family burdens to bear. Besides, overseas projects offer higher salaries and more opportunities. Let’s go for it!"
出生于2000年的邹仙龙和徐志航今年也决定出去闯一闯。7月，两人前后脚来到乌兹别克斯坦。谈及为何出海，两人都有“00后”的鲜明与直白，“年轻人，一人吃饱全家不饿，而且海外项目工资高，机会更多一些。走吧！”
Qian Jiali’s reason for going overseas was a mix of chance and destiny. "Some people joke that ‘the career destination for French majors is Africa’—and here I am," she said. From Côte d’Ivoire to the Republic of the Congo, she embarked on this adventure voluntarily, with the expectation of breaking the stereotypes about Africa.
钱嘉丽的出海理由有几分误打误撞，又有点命中注定感。“有人戏称‘法语人的职业归宿在非洲’，这不，我就来了。”从科特迪瓦到刚果（布），她带着对打破非洲刻板印象的期待，主动冒险。
The Abidjan Fourth Bridge Project in Côte d’Ivoire was Qian’s first overseas assignment. Stretching about 7 kilometers long, this bridge has shortened the travel time between the Plateau District in the city center and the Yopougon District in the west from over an hour to just 10 minutes. "When vehicles speed across the bridge, I truly understand the significance of infrastructure construction for this land," Qian said.
科特迪瓦阿比让四桥是钱嘉丽参与的第一个海外项目，这座全长约7公里的桥梁将市中心的高原区和西部约普贡区之间的行程从1个多小时缩短到10分钟，“当车辆在桥上飞驰而过时，我懂得了基建对这片土地的意义。”钱嘉丽说。
"Just Roll Up Our Sleeves and Get It Done!"
“干，就行了！”
In November, a letter traveled across mountains and seas from Tashkent to Changsha, China. In the letter, the Tashkent Municipal Government expressed gratitude to CSCEC 5th Bureau for completing the high-quality Phase I Municipal Road Renovation Project in a mere four months, describing it as "a very successful and memorable experience".
11月，一封信跨山越海，从塔什干寄至中国长沙。信中，塔什干市政府感谢中建五局仅用时4个月便高质量完成市政道路改造项目（一期），称“这是一次非常成功且令人难忘的经历”。
Yet behind this "four-month high-quality completion" lay a host of successive challenges: numerous site constraints, difficulties in overseas resource allocation, and summer surface temperatures soaring up to 50 degrees Celsius, among others.
然而，“4个月保质保量完工”的背后是接踵而至的挑战：场地限制多、海外资源调配难、夏季地表温度高达50℃……
"For us young people, we just roll up our sleeves and get it done." Zou Xianlong is responsible for material entry and exit control, while Xu Zhihang, a budget specialist, deals with project reports all day long. For both of them, language barriers are the most immediate obstacle. "Uzbek and Russian are the commonly used languages here. We rely entirely on translation apps for everything—from ordering meals when eating out to communicating delivery locations with drivers," they said. Growing up in an era when the internet is sweeping the globe, they jokingly call themselves "digital natives". "There are plenty of challenges, but whenever we encounter something we don’t know, we turn to AI for help."
“年轻人，干就完了。”邹仙龙的工作是材料进出场管控，预算员徐志航则专门和报表打交道。对他们来说，语言的障碍是最直接的。“当地通用乌兹别克语和俄语，出门吃饭、和司机沟通送货位置，全靠翻译软件。”成长于互联网浪潮席卷全球时代的他们，笑称自己是“数字原住民”，“难题不少，遇到不会的我们就AI一下”。
Qian Jiali probably has a deeper understanding of this struggle. In Côte d’Ivoire, obscure construction terminology and thick African accents left her totally confused at first. She volunteered to attend every technical meeting, filling her notebook with unfamiliar terms during the day and listening to meeting recordings repeatedly with construction drawings in her arms late into the night. Now, she can communicate fluently between Chinese and African engineers.
钱嘉丽对此或许有更深的体会。在科特迪瓦，晦涩的施工术语和浓厚的非洲口音让她云里雾里。她主动请缨参与每一次技术会议，白天将不熟悉的术语记满笔记本，晚上抱着图纸反复听会议录音。现在，她已经可以在中非工程师之间流畅沟通。
While language barriers can be overcome through acquired efforts, the relatively monotonous overseas life has indeed taken these post-2000s young people—who value individual needs—a lot of time to adapt to. "Transportation here is inconvenient, and we only get one chance a week to go to town for shopping," Luo Junzhi said. "But I have no regrets."
语言可以通过后天努力来弥补，但相对枯燥的海外生活，着实让有个体诉求的“00后”花了不少时间去适应。“这里交通不方便，一周只有一次去镇上采购物品的机会。”罗竣支说，“但我不后悔。”
Qian Jiali has found her own ways to combat loneliness, which may serve as a reference: exploring local shops, reading books, doing sports, and enjoying the sunset glistening over the Atlantic Ocean.
如何对抗孤独，钱嘉丽的方法或许可以参考：探店、看书、运动，再看看夕阳和大西洋的波光。
"Look, It’s Made in China!"
“看，中国造！”
Overseas social media often refers to China as the "Infrastructure Superpower", but it is by no means easy for Chinese construction enterprises to build roads and bridges overseas.
海外社交媒体上，中国被称为“基建狂魔”，但中国建设企业在海外修路搭桥，并不容易。
To help the Republic of the Congo open up the transportation artery between Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, CSCEC 5th Bureau ventured deep into the Mayombe Primary Forest, navigated the Niari River Valley, and crossed the Batéké Plateau. It took the company a full eight years to complete the Congo National Highway No.1, which is hailed by local people as the "Road of Dreams". Before the highway was built, traveling from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville took at least a week; now, it takes only six hours.
为了帮助刚果（布）打通布拉柴维尔和黑角之间的交通动脉，中建五局深入马永贝原始森林，进入尼亚黑河谷，翻越巴塔赫高原，用了整整8年的时间，建成了被当地百姓誉为“梦想之路”的刚果（布）国家一号公路。修路前，从黑角到布拉柴维尔至少要1个星期，现在只要6个小时。
In June 2024, Qian Jiali was transferred from Côte d’Ivoire to the Republic of the Congo, moving on to work on Highway No.4. When she heard local people say, "The Chinese are gradually making our lives better," she felt a surge of pride. "All I can do is continue to serve as a strong language bridge," she said.
2024年6月，钱嘉丽从科特迪瓦调至刚果（布），工作的项目也“进化”到四号路，听到当地人说“中国人让我们的生活正慢慢变好”，她倍感自豪：“我能做的，就是继续当好‘语言桥梁’。”
While building roads, Chinese construction enterprises are also nurturing local technical talents, driving industrial upgrading, and implementing advanced Chinese standards overseas. This is what they are doing across the globe.
修通一条路的同时，培养一批本地技术人才，带动一群产业升级，落地先进的中国标准，这是中国建设企业在海外正在做的事。
As CSCEC 5th Bureau’s first government-led project in Uzbekistan, the Tashkent Municipal Road Project adopted Chinese standards and made adaptive adjustments in light of local conditions, successfully introducing "Chinese experience" to the country.
作为中建五局在乌兹别克斯坦的首个政府类项目，塔什干市政道路项目建设引入中国标准，并结合当地实际情况进行适应性调整，将“中国经验”成功引入该国。
"What a beautifully built road! When will the next phase start?" A Tashkent taxi driver spoke highly of this municipal road integrated with Chinese standards.
“路建得真漂亮，下一段什么时候开工？”塔什干出租车司机对这条融入中国标准的市政道路满是赞许。
Beyond engineering construction, deeper connections are taking shape.
工程建设之外，更深层次的连接正在发生。
Affected by Tropical Cyclone "Diteo", Madawala Village in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, was hit by heavy rainfall, and the village access road was damaged by floodwaters. Luo Junzhi and the rest of his team responded promptly, assisting the local community in carrying out disaster relief work. They also raised a batch of daily necessities and school supplies, distributing them to affected villagers and students on December 9.
受热带气旋“迪特瓦”影响，斯里兰卡北中省阿努拉达普拉区马达瓦拉村遭遇强降雨，通村道路被洪水冲刷受损。罗竣支和团队其他人迅速响应，协助当地开展抢险。大家还筹措一批生活和学习用品，于12月9日向受灾村民和学生发放。
Aisha, the owner of a grocery store in Pointe-Noire Market in the Republic of the Congo, always affectionately calls Qian Jiali "my daughter". One day, Qian casually praised Aisha for her beautiful printed cloth. In return, Aisha immediately picked out a piece of cloth to make a skirt for Qian and braid her hair. "Every time I walk through the market, I can hear her loud shout: ‘My daughter is here!’" Qian recalled with a smile.
刚果（布）的黑角大市场杂货店店长艾莉莎总笑着叫钱嘉丽“女儿”。有天，钱嘉丽随口一夸艾莉莎的花布好看，艾莉莎立马挑了布给她裁裙子、编发辫，“每当我穿过市场，总能听见她响亮的吆喝：‘我的女儿来了！’”
With over 40 years of overseas experience, CSCEC 5th Bureau has established a presence in 20 countries and regions, undertaking more than 100 projects across 25 countries—including infrastructure construction, high-end real estate development, and high-tech factory construction. What they safeguard is not just a road, a bridge, or a factory, but the hopes of local people.
出海40余年，中建五局在20个国别进行市场布点，累计在25个国家承接基础设施建设、高端房建和高科技厂房等项目超百个。他们守护的，不仅是一条道路、一座桥梁、一个工厂，更是当地民众的希望。
After the completion of the Phase I Tashkent Municipal Road Upgrading and Renovation Project, Zou Xianlong and Xu Zhihang moved on again, continuing to "make their mark" on other projects in Uzbekistan. These "tough and challenging" experiences will in turn become the nourishment that fuels their courage to venture overseas.
塔什干市政道路提升改造项目（一期）结束后，邹仙龙和徐志航又上路了，继续在乌兹别克斯坦其他项目上“折腾”。而这些“折腾”的经历，也将变成他们勇闯海外的养分。
In this new era of global engagement, this emerging generation of post-2000s young people is infusing the overseas markets—where their predecessors have worked tirelessly for decades—with youthful thinking and enterprising spirit. They are writing new chapters in the story of China’s "Infrastructure Superpower", redefining what it means to be post-2000s through the interplay of national narratives and individual aspirations.
波涛汹涌的大航海时代，这股“新势力”将年轻的思维和拼搏，注入前辈深耕数十年的海外市场，续写一个个中国“基建狂魔”的故事，在家国叙事与个体诉求的交错中重新界定“00后”。
