As soon as the hustle and bustle of the old Phnom Penh airport came to an end, a giant dome resembling the national flower of Longdu rose from the wilderness. When passengers hold up their phones to freeze the world's most beautiful 4F level hub, few know that behind the 420 plain concrete columns lies the ingenuity of Chinese and Cambodian craftsmen crossing national borders.

Exquisite construction of benchmark airports

Inside the terminal building, 420 plain concrete columns are poured and formed in one go without additional finishing, directly meeting the international top-level finishing standards. This means that every pillar is not allowed to have any defects, and once a mistake occurs, the entire pillar must be reworked. The steel dome, resembling the national flower of Cambodia, weighs 11000 tons. The construction team relied on BIM technology and modular pre assembly to split, lift and assemble the components like building blocks, overcoming multiple construction difficulties and firmly controlling the installation accuracy within 3 millimeters. This is the silent footnote of Lu Ban's ingenuity on foreign land.

Drive local employment and increase income

This new hub has changed much more than just modes of transportation. The project has created approximately 10000 local positions, with local employees accounting for over 90%. Many Cambodian youth have found new paths in their lives here, and some have grown from project data clerks to operational and administrative managers. The supporting businesses around the airport are gradually emerging, driving local residents to start businesses and increase their income. The first phase of the plan aims to achieve an annual passenger throughput of 13 million to 15 million people. The new cargo terminal and VIP terminal are about to be put into use, which will continue to attract tourists and investment. An airport is becoming the growth engine of the entire region.

Craftsmanship, mentorship, and bridging of the heart bridge

What is stronger than concrete is the connection between people's hearts. The project implements the Luban Craftsman Program, which systematically imparts construction technology and management experience to Cambodian employees through lectures, mentorship, and practical training. During the peak construction period, thousands of Cambodian workers participated in the construction, and many of them grew from scratch to technical backbone. Keywords: Lu Ban Craftsmanship, Cambodia, China Cambodia Cooperation, Southeast Asia

This sense of collaboration even gave rise to cross-border friendships and marriages, with many Chinese and Cambodian employees getting to know and accompanying each other in their joint efforts. As of now, the program has trained more than 2000 architecture students, and partner universities continue to expand. Technical exchanges have brought people closer together and allowed the foundation of China Cambodia friendship to quietly grow in every weld and every practical training class.Editor/Gong Ziwei