这座象牙雕刻是1974年中国赠送给联合国的礼物。它描述的是1970年通车的成昆铁路。这条铁路全长1000多公里，联结中国南方的云南省和西南方的四川省。这座牙雕用8支象牙雕成，98个人雕刻了两年多。工艺的精湛令人赞叹枛甚至可以看到刻在火车里的细小人物。成昆铁路象牙雕刻艺术地表现了中华民族在险峻山区修建一条铁路干线的伟大创举。

This ivory carving is a gift fromChinapresented to the United Nations in 1974. It depicts the Chengtu-Kunming railway, which was opened to traffic in 1970 and covers a distance of over 1,000 kilometers. The railway connects two Chinese provinces,YunnanProvincein the South andSzechuanProvincein the North. The sculpture was carved from eight elephant tusks, and it is said that 98 people worked on it for more than two years. It is amazing for its detail - it is possible to see even tiny people carved inside the train.