China National Highway 219 (G219;
Chinese: ''
Guódào219'') is a
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
which runs along the entire western and southern border of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, from
Kom-Kanas Mongolian ethnic township in
Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
to
Dongxing in
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
. At over long, it is part of the
China National Highway Network Planning (2013–2030), and once completed it will be the longest
National Highway.
Before 2013, G219 ran from
Yecheng (Karghilik) in the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC: previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest of the country at the crossroads ...
to
Lhatse
The new town of Lhatse or Lhatse Xian, also known as Quxar (, Quxia (), or Chusar, is a small town of a few thousand people in the Tibet Autonomous Region in the valley of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Lhatse County, southwest of Shigatse and jus ...
in the
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...
. It was long. This section was completed in September 1957. India disagrees with China over its territorial footprint in
Aksai Chin
Aksai Chin is a region administered by China partly in Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, and partly in Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet, and constituting the easternmost portion of the larger Kashmir regio ...
. During the
1962 war, China defended the road, also pushing its western frontier further west. For the first time after the 1960s, between 2010-2012, China spent ($476 million) repaving the Xinjiang section spanning just over . China's 13th (2016–2020) and 14th (2021–2025)
five-year plans Five-year plan may refer to:
Nation plans
* Five-year plans of the Soviet Union, a series of nationwide centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union
* Five-Year Plans of Argentina, under Peron (1946–1955)
* Five-Year Plans of Bhutan, a series ...
both included development of the road and connectivity with other roads.
Former G219
Construction of this road as a gravel road was started in 1951. It is also known as the 'Yehchang–Gartok road', the 'Aksai Chin road', and the 'Sky Road'.
About passes through Aksai Chin.
Xinjiang-Tibet road, Aksai Chin

Through 1950s China planned and constructed a road through its western frontier in Xinjiang and Tibet (Hotan/Rutog).
China announced completion of the road in September 1957. A number of reasons for building the road has been conceptualized, including cementing China's control over the region.
India supposedly learnt of the construction a couple of years after the road construction started.
Despite the historic remoteness of the region, both sides lay claim to the area.
The road entered disputed territory "just east of Sarigh Jilgnang" after which it ran through a number of locations India recognized as its territory such as ''Haji Langar,'' and usage was claimed by India to be in contravention to the
Sino-Indian Agreement 1954. The following years saw China repave the road which resulted in localized tension.
One of the reasons for the
1962 war was the defence of that road.
In the defence of the road, China pushed its western frontier further west.
Dispute over the territory persists to the present time.
There is a Chinese war memorial on the G219 at
Kangxiwar.
A number of lateral roads have been constructed with scattered military infrastructure.
Road development
Repaving of the road began in late 2010.
By July 2012 and with an expenditure of ($476 million), the Xinjiang section spanning just over was completed.
This was the first repaving since the 1960s, according to a Chinese road administration official.
The
13th five-year plan of China (2016–2020) further upgraded the road. In 2013 the road was upgraded to
asphalt
Asphalt most often refers to:
* Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete
* Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
.
A number of provincial roads have been and are being developed which exit off from the G219, the G564 and the G365, and the S205, S206, S207. China
14th five-year plan for 2021–2025 further improves connectivity with G219.
Route description

As one of the highest motorable roads in the world, the breathtaking scenery of
Rutog County
Rutog County
(, zh, s=日土县) is a Counties of China, county in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The county seat is the new Rutog Town, located some or 700 miles west-northwest of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. Rutog Co ...
also ranks as some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. Domar township—a town of concrete blocks and nomad tents—is one of the bleakest and most remote outposts of the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
at the edge of the
Aksai Chin
Aksai Chin is a region administered by China partly in Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, and partly in Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet, and constituting the easternmost portion of the larger Kashmir regio ...
. Near the town of Mazar many trekkers turn off for both the
Karakorum
Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...
range and
K2 base camp. Approaching the Xinjiang border, past the final Tibetan settlement of Tserang Daban is a dangerous 5,050-meter-high pass. Tibetan nomads in the area herd both yaks and two-humped camels. Descending through the western Kunlun Shan, the road crosses additional passes of 4,000 and 3,000 meters, and the final pass offers brilliant views of the
Taklamakan Desert
The Taklamakan Desert ( ) is a desert in northwest China's Xinjiang region. Located inside the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang, it is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains to the west, the Tian Shan range to the ...
far below before descending into the Karakax River basin.
The Chinese government is making efforts to promote tourism along G219. There are a number of military check posts along the road.
Route and distance
Mountain Passes Rhyme
The western portion of the highway has numerous notable mountain passes. Motorists have invented a
rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final Stress (linguistics), stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciou ...
describing those mountain passes:
Gallery
New route
The route was expanded in the
China National Highway Network Planning (2013–2030) both northward and eastward to span the entire Chinese western and southern border. The new route will measure over , making it by far the longest National Highway.
The section along the China-Vietnam border is also known as the Yanbian Highway (沿边公路, literally: ''along the border highway'').
Route table
See also
*
China National Highways
The China National Highways (CNH/Guodao) () is a network of trunk roads across mainland China. Established to facilitate transportation and economic development, the system includes north-south and east-west arterial highways, expressways, and l ...
*
China National Highway 228, which follows the coastline of China
*
China National Highway 331, which follows the northern border of China
References
Further reading
* Dorje, Gyurme. (2009). ''Footprint Tibet Handbook''. (4th Ed.) Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England. .
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External links
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Xinjiang-Tibet Highway (Yecheng-Burang) Description and profile of the route.
Photos along highway 219 (text in French).
Some photos along the Highway 219A detailed description of a bicycle ride along highway 219 with many photosPhotographs of a 2018 trip along G219
{{China National Highways
219
Roads in Xinjiang
Roads in Tibet