Sketching the Faces of the Dead

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook, an interesting story from the Mao Era
https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2884170645235110/

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Deep in the remote and unforgiving landscape of Central Asia lies the Karakoram Highway. A former soldier reflects on his experiences helping build one of the most remarkable roads in the world, connecting China and Pakistan.

Sitting Atop the World, Sketching the Faces of the Dead
The author, a former soldier, reflects on his experiences helping build the top secret Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan in the late 1970s.

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This story is part of a weekend column featuring translations from respected Chinese media outlets, as selected and edited by Sixth Tone. All are reproduced with the outlets’ permission. A version of this article was first published in podcast form by StoryFM. Another story from the Karakoram Highway construction team can be found here.

Editor’s note: Deep in the remote and unforgiving landscape of Central Asia lies one of the most remarkable roads in the world. The Karakoram Highway slices through the Karakoram, Hindu Kush, and Himalaya mountain rages to connect China and Pakistan. Reaching heights of roughly 4,730 meters, it crosses some of the most complex and harsh terrain in the world, prone at any moment to avalanches, landslides, rockfalls, cave-ins, and earthquakes.

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Too many construction workers lost their lives. We didn’t have any photos that could serve as a portrait of the deceased, so because I was skilled at drawing, I was sent to draw those who had died.