CHINA'S ROAD NETWORK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01098A000200070001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 20
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 1, 1974
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA-RDP79TO1098A00020007000190cret
China's Road Network
Secret
ER RP 74-1
January 1974
Copy No.
Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA-RDP79TO1098A000200070001-7
68
 Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA-RDP79TO1098A000200070001-7
WARNING
This document contains information affect inq the national
defense of the United States, within the n caning of Title
18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Cod as amended.
Its transmission or revelation of its con tents to or re-
cl?ipt by an unauthorized person is prof ibited by law.
Classified by 015319
Exempt from general
declassilicalion schedle of E.O. 1165:
e:emprion category 19i11,(a?,~~I
Auromaricaily doclossaied on
Dais lmpostible ru Delarm.ne
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 Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA7R098A000200070001-7
CHINA'S ROAD NETWORK
SUMMARY
1. China's road network, roughly comparable with the US network
of the early 1920s, consists of interconnected systems of locally and
regionally oriented roads. The network was approximately 700,000
kilometers (km) in length at the end of 1972, compared with only
75,000 km in 1949. Despite this manyfold expansion, roads continue to
provide mainly short-haul, farm-to-market transport service. Except in Tibet
and other sparsely populated areas of western China, roads do not play
a role in long-haul transport; they merely supplement the long-haul transport
services of the principal interprovincial carriers -- the railroads and navigable
waterways. Direct through routes linking widely separated parts of the
country are few in number, and there is no coordinated national highway
system. Almost all of the roads in the network are surfaced with either
dirt or gravel. Most of the roads, while adequate for their limited traffic,
require constant maintenance because of their poor quality.
The Primary Network
2. The primary network of roads in China, depicted on the map
inside the back cover, consists of principal connections between larger
population centers. Roads in this network vary widely in quality, depending
on the function and location of the roads -- for example, whether there
are nearby rail lines or waterways. Amounting to less than one-fourth of
China's road mileage, the roads in the primary network generally are
two-lane, gravel or asphalt surfaced, and motorable throughout the year.
The roads in this network are divided into three categories:
a. Two-lane, all-weather roads with an oil/asphalt surface,
drainage, and bridges or ferries.
b. Two-lane, all-weather roads with a prepared surface of
gravel/crushed rock, drainage, and bridges or ferries.
Note: Comments and queries regarding this publication are welcomed. They
may be directed to of the Office of Economic Research, Code
143, Extension 7884.
Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : Cl? f fft~T,Q,1098A000200070001-7
 Approved For Release 2001/04/12(gp,-BgP79T01098A000200070001-7
C. Probable two-lane, fair-weather roads - tl ese roads usually
have a prepared surface, may have drainage, and have fords
at most streams.
Most of the roads in the primary network fall under the latter two
categories.
3. The remainder of China's road net%?ork, or more than
three-fourths of the total mileage in the eountly, consists of simple
farm-to-market connections, surfaced with dirt or travel. These roads are
passable by trucks in good weather and. by carts anti other types of native
transport in most weather.
4. Only 11,; to Y'( of the entire road neNork has been surfaced
with asphalt, concrete, or residual oil. The largest concentrations of
bituminous- or oil-treated roads are located on the North China Plain, the
western edge of the Szechwan Basin near Ch'en[-tu, the southern and
western edges of the Dzungarian Basin, and in othe - scattered areas where
roads accommodate relatively high levels of traffic )r experience excessive
erosion. A few major arteries in the larger cities are paved with concrete.
Expansion of the Network
5. Most of the roads in the 75,000-km network inherited by the
C olllmunists in 1949 were narrow, poorly constri.cted. unsurfaced, and
furnished only with ferries or low-capacity brid;;es. After successfully
repairing war damage and restoring the existing network to operation, the
new government began an extensive expansion program in 1953 that ended
in 1960, in this period, more than 350,000 km of roads were built.
Additional roads were built at varying rates of co istruction through the
1960s and early 1970s. Construction is currently progressing at an estimated
rate of 30,000 km of new roads per year.
6. Since 1949 the Chinese have increased he total length of the
network about eight times, as indicated in the following tabulation:
End of Year
Length of Nt twork
(Thousand Kil""meters)
1949
751
1950
100
1952
127
1957
255
1958
400
1959
480
1961
490
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 Approved For Release 2001/04/10: CIAFATL01j098A000200070001-7
End of Year
Length of Network
(Thousand Kilometers)
1965
550
1970
640
1971
670
1972
700
1. At the time of the Communist takeover in
October 1949.
The massive construction effort has greatly improved the quality of the
roads and related structures and has provided motorable links to most
populated areas in China. The growth and development of the economy -
China's gross national product has grown at an average rate of about 4%
since 1953 -- has generated the need for an expanding road network to
accommodate China's rapidly increasing number of trucks. Truck production
has risen from 7,500 units in 1957 to 100,000 units in 1972, and hundreds
of heavy-duty trucks (capacity of more than 8 metric tons) have been
imported from Japan and Western Europe. At the current rate of
construction, the total length of the national network should approach
800,000 km by the end of the present five-year plan in 1975.
Regional Distribution of the Network
7. The geographic distribution of the Chinese road network has
changed markedly during the past 20 years. In 1949 the road network was
distributed primarily around the population centers of the eastern coastal
provinces. A small number of roads in other areas of China, such as the
Lan-chou - Sinkiang road in the west and the Burma road in the southwest,
completed this sparse network. Detailed data on the growth of the road
network (see Appendix A) indicate that in absolute terms the largest
increases have taken place in provinces located in Central, South, and
Southwest China, where Peking has emphasized economic expansion during
the last two decades. Up to the mid-1960s, considerable expansion also
took place in Sinkiang, probably as much for strategic as for economic
reasons. The smallest increases have occurred in the sparsely populated
provinces of Tsinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet and in various provinces
of East China where railroads and the Yangtze River provide superior
alternative means of transportation. Data on the distribution of the road
network (see Appendix B) indicate that the proportion of the network
located in Central, South, and Southwest China is substantially greater than
in 1949, whereas the proportion located in the North and Northeast is
less than in 1949.
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 Approved For Release 2001/04/1f I 9T01 098A000200070001-7
8. Appendix B also compares the regional c istribution of the road
network with the regional distribution of pops lation and area. This
comparison indicates that the distribution of the network approximates the
distribution of population only in the Northeast, South, and Southwest.
Substantial differences exist in the other regions. Far example, East China
has only about one-tenth of the network but has more than one-quarter
of the population: and Northwest China has more tl-an 15`/0 of the network
but less than 7`7 of the population.
9. 'rile density of the road network varies c )nsiderably in different
parts of the country. The overall density for the country as a whole is
about 7 km to 8 kni of road per 100 square kil+,meters of area. In the
Northeast. Last, Central, and South Regions the c ensity is about double
the countrywide average. In two provinces, Chekia ig and Kwangtung, the
density is almost triple the national average. In the North. Northwest, and
Southwest. however, the density is equal to or less than the overall figure.
Approved For Release 2001/04/10 C RDP79TO1098A000200070001-7
 Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA9R@%.b98A000200070001-7
CHINA: GROWTH OF THE ROAD NETWORK
Length of Network
(Kilometers)
Present Density
I
Kil
10
Region and Province
1949
Presentl
ncrease
(Kilometers)
(
ometers per
0
Square Kilometers)
Northeast
Liaoning
8,000
30,000 (73)
22,000
13.0
Kirin
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
Heilungkiang
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
North
Hopeh
5,0002
13,000 (58)
8,000
6.5
Shansi
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
Inner Mongolia
1,875
15,943 (72)
14,068
3.7
East
Shantung
N.A.
25,500 (70)
N.A.
16.6
Kiangsu
2,800
12,100 (71)
9,300
11.8
Chekiang
1,900
20,900 (72)
19,000
20.5
Anhwei
1,142
15,000 (71)
13,858
10.7
Central
Honan
2,226
25,000 (73)
22,774
14.9
Kiangsi
3,200
19,000 (65)
15,800
11.5
Hopeh
2,261
26,200 (72)
23,939
13.9
Hunan
1,305
32,824 (72)
31,519
15.5
South
Fukien
1,800
20,000 (73)
18,200
16.2
Kwangtung
2,523
42,900 (72)
40,377
20.2
Kwangsi
3,000
30,600 (73)
27,600
12.7
Northwest
Shensi
N.A.
22,000 (73)
N.A.
11.2
Kansu
N.A.
15,000 (57)
N.A.
1
9
Ningsia
Tsinghai
N.A.
472
N.A.
14,000 (72)
N.A.
13,528
.
1.9
Sinkiang
3,600
25,600 (64)
22,000
1.5
Southwest
Szechwan
4,500
50,000 (72)
45,500
8.7
Yunnan
2,700
40,000 (73)
37,300
9.1
Kweichow
1,900
23,000 (71)
21,100
13.2
Tibet
N.A.
16,500 (73)
N.A.
1.3
1. The latest year for which information is available is indicated in parenthesis.
2. Length of the network in 1950.
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 Approved For Release 2001/04/10: CI57P'f9g09098A000200070001-7
APPENDIX B
CHINA: DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROAD NETWORK,
POPULATION, AND AREA
Length of Network
Region and Province
1949
Presents
Population2
Area
Northeast
N.A.
N.A.
10.0
12.6
Liaoning
10.6
4.1 (73)
4.6
2.4
Kirin
N.A.
N.A.
2.3
2.8
Heilungkiang
N.A.
N.A.
3.1
7.4
North
N.A.
N.A.
10.9
8.2
Hopeh
5.0
3.2 (58)
7.5
2.2
Shansi
N.A.
N.A.
2.5
1.6
Inner Mongolia
2.5
2.3 (72)
0.9
4.4
East
N.A.
10.9
25.1
5.4
Shantung
N.A.
4.0(70)
8.4
1.6
Kiangsu
3.7
1.7(71)
7.9
1.2
Chekiang
2.5
3.0(72)
3.8
1.1
Anhwei
1.5
2.2(71)
5.0
1.5
Central
11.8
15.2
20.0
7.7
Honan
2.9
3.4(73)
7.2
1.8
Kiangsi
4.2
3.4(65)
2.8
1.7
Hupeh
3.0
3.7 (72)
4.7
2.0
Hunan
1.7
4.7 (72)
5.3
2.2
South
9.7
13.0
11.0
6.0
Fukien
2.4
2.7 (73)
2.3
1.3
Kwangtung
3.3
6.1 (72)
5.5
2.2
Kwangsi
4.0
4.2(73)
3.2
2.5
Northwest
N.A.
N.A.
6.7
34.9
Shensi
N.A.
3.0 (73)
3.0
2.0
Kansu
N.A.
5.9(57)
2
3
8.2
Ningsia
Tsinghai
N.A.
0.6
N.A.
2.0 (72)
.
0.4
7.5
Sinkiang
4.8
4.8(64)
1.0
17.2
Southwest
N.A.
18.3
16.5
25.2
Szechwan
6.0
7.1 (72)
10.8
6.0
Yunnan
3.6
5.5 (73)
2.8
4.6
Kweichow
2.5
3.4 (71)
2.7
1.8
Tibet
N.A.
2.3 (73)
0.2
12.8
1. The latest year for which information is available is indicated in parenthesis.
2. Based on mid-1973 estimates.
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 MOkGO
v " 2001 /04//14 D 9 10 8A 02000700
M ladesh
u
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Peoples Republic of China
Primary Road Network
December 1973
 Approved For Release 2001/04/10 : CIA-RDP79TO1098A000200070001-7
Secret
Secret
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 Appt6V@d
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CONTROL RECORD FOR SUPPLEMENTAL DISTRIBUTIOmTATINTL
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DCI/NIO/ CH
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D/OER.
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STATSPEC
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31 Jan 74
FOR 2353 pp"'
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via OCI STATINTL
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via SA/ER STATINTL
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CHINA'S ROAD NETWORK
SUMMARY
1. China's road network, roughly comparable with the US network
of the early 1920s, consists of interconnected systems of locally and
regionally oriented roads. The network was approximately 700,000
kilometers (km) in length at the end of 1972, compared with only
75,000 km in 1949. Despite this manyfold expansion, roads continue to
provide mainly short-haul, farm-to-market transport service. Except in Tibet
and other sparsely populated areas of western China, roads do not play
a role in long-haul transport; they merely supplement the long-haul transport
services of the principal interprovincial carriers - the railroads and navigable
waterways. Direct through routes linking widely separated parts of the
country are few in number, and there is no coordinated national highway
system. Almost all of the roads in the network are surfaced with either
dirt or gravel. Most of the roads, while adequate for their limited traffic,
require constant maintenance because of their poor quality.
The Primary Network
2. The primary network of roads in China, depicted on the map
inside the back cover, consists of principal connections between larger
population centers. Roads in this network vary widely in quality, depending
on the function and location of the roads - for example, whether there
are nearby rail lines or waterways. Amounting to less than one-fourth of
China's road mileage, the roads in the primary network generally are
two-lane, gravel or asphalt surfaced, and motorable throughout the year.
The roads in this network are divided into three categories:
a. Two-lane, all-weather roads with an oil/asphalt surface,
drainage, and bridges or ferries.
b. Two-lane, all-weather roads with a prepared surface of
gravel/crushed rock, drainage, and bridges or ferries.
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 Approved For Release 2001 /04/ refy4 &P79T01098A000200070001-7
C. Probable two-lane, fair-weather roads - ti ese roads usually
have a prepared surface, may have drainag!, and have fords
at most streams.
Most of the roads in the primary network fall .under the latter two
categories.
3. The remainder of China's road neR ork, or more than
three-fourths of the total mileage in the countr r, consists of simple
farm-to-market connections, surfaced with dirt or gavel. These roads are
passable by trucks in good weather and by carts and other types of native
transport in most weather.
4. Only 1% to 2% of the entire road netwuurk has been surfaced
with asphalt, concrete, or residual oil. The largest concentrations of
bituminous- or oil-treated roads are located on the North China Plain, the
western edge of the Szechwan Basin near Ch'eng-tu, the southern and
western edges of the Dzungarian Basin, and in other scattered areas where
roads accommodate relatively high levels of traffic o- experience excessive
erosion. A few major arteries in the larger cities are paved with concrete.
Expansion of the Network
5. Most of the roads in the 75,000-km netk'ork inherited by the
Communists in 1949 were narrow, poorly construe ted, unsurfaced, and
furnished only with ferries or low-capacity bridges. After successfully
repairing war damage and restoring the existing nets+ork to operation, the
new government began an extensive expansion progra n in 1953 that ended
in 1960; in this period, more than 350,000 km 3f roads were built.
Additional roads were built at varying rates of con truction through the
1960s and early 1970s. Construction is currently proguessing at an estimated
rate of 30,000 km of new roads per year.
6. Since 1949 the Chinese have increased th! total length of the
network about eight times, as indicated in the foll swing tabulation:
End of Year
Length of Neiti -ork
(Thousand Kilon eters)
1949
751
1950
100
1952
127
1957
255
1958
400
1959
480
1961
490
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1-5
MEMORANDUM FOR: CRS/ADD Release
Release of ER RP 74-1, China's Road Network,
January 1974, Secret, to Foreign Governments
1. It is requested that the attached copy of subject report be
forwarded as follows:
#61
2. All OER responsibilities as defined in the DDI memorandum
of 13 August 1952, "Procedures for Dissemination of Finished
Intelligence to Foreign Governments, " as applicable to this report
have been fulfilled.
Chief, St/P/ C/,ER
this rnernorondun1 has been comptetedy
t' y; GyY7
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