Storyline: The China-Tajikistan Highway, now being upgraded by Chinese contractors, is cutting through the rugged Pamir Mountains, boosting trade and weaving new bonds between the two nations in one of Central Asia's most remote regions. The road is the only direct route connecting Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe to the high-altitude Badakhshan region within the Pamir Mountains and onward to China via the Karakoram Highway. China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is undertaking the project to upgrade the road and expects to complete construction in 2026. At its most complex section, Chinese engineers are excavating up to 67 meters vertically to widen the roadway. Despite the hardship, this road represents profound progress for the Tajik workers. Once a grueling 18-hour journey, key sections of the route now take just 10 hours -- a lifeline for communities long isolated by harsh terrain. The road also brings economic opportunities for China and Tajikistan, as villagers along the route report unprecedented easier access to goods. Jiang, the project manager, has been working on overseeing construction for 12 years. He has seen accelerated volume of Chinese exports from daily necessities to electric cars. When completed next year, the upgraded highway will further cement China’s Belt and Road Initiative footprint in Tajikistan. The route serves as a critical overland corridor between western China and Central Asia's markets. As night falls over the Pamirs, the highway remains alive with trucks navigating switchbacks -- a testament to how a single road is rewriting the region’s economic economy and human geography. Shotlist: Tajikistan - Recent: 1. Various of Chinese electric vehicles on China-Tajikistan Highway 2. Various of contractor staff explaining construction progress to visitor 3. Various of construction site, workers UPSOUND (English) construction worker (name not given) (starting with shot 3): "Welcome to Pamir!" 4. Various of motorcade, trucks on road at night; trucks with containers, new vehicles parked at road, rain 5. Various of driver guiding traffic through, saying hello to passengers in Chinese EVs 6. Various of cars, truck, cow on road 7. Various of river valley beneath road 8. Motorcade 9. Various of Jiang Shulin, project manager of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) driving, walking with visitor to construction site on mountain foot 10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Jiang Shulin, project manager of CRBC (starting with shot 9/ending with shot 11): "We've reached the most challenging point on the entire route, the K54+400 meters. We literally have to lower this entire mountain to achieve the roadbed widening we need." 11. Aerial shots of subgrade widening work in progress 12. Various of visitors shaking hands with CRBC workers 13. SOUNDBITE (Tajik, dubbed in English) Sadriddin Nilobekov, construction worker (with reporter asking question) (partially overlaid with shots 14-15): (Reporter: "What do you guys think of this road?") "Thanks to this road, travel time has already been cut by eight hours. This road has been broken for so many years. The Chinese came, and now it will be fixed. This is such a noble thing!" [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 14. Jiang interpreting 15. Aerial shot of excavators working at construction site 16. Various of construction workers talking to each other, tunnel, machinery [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 17. Various of Jiang talking with visitor, showing her to store 18. Various of goods on shelf, store owner introducing goods UPSOUND (English) store owner (name not given): "China! (Switching to Tajik) China! China! These are all from China!" 19. Various shop owner, customers at store 20. SOUNDBITE (Tajik) Kishvarsho Kabirov, villager (starting with shot 19/ending with shots 21-22): "Without this road, it would take me four days to get things from Dushanbe. Yesterday, I just ordered, and it arrived today! These Chinese workers are my friends! My children, right from birth, will see such a good road." 21. Various of Chinese EV on road, Tajik children riding donkey 22. Various of construction site 23. Jiang driving on China-Tajikistan Highway 24. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Jiang Shulin, project manager of CRBC (with reporter asking question) (starting with shot 23/ending with shot 25): (Reporter:"Have you noticed some changes in so many years?" "There's a remarkable surge in Chinese self-driving tourists, And a flood of Chinese goods, especially electric vehicles, now flows through daily, marking a significant shift in trade." 25. Queue of trucks on road 26. Aerial shot of highway, mountains, river valley. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]