Imagine hopping on a train in Beijing in the morning and arriving in the heart of the Changbai Mountains by lunchtime – this is now a reality thanks to the Shenyang-Baihe high-speed rail in northeast Jilin province of the Chinese mainland. For about 600 yuan (84 USD), travelers can enjoy the crisp autumn air or explore the volcanic crater at Tianchi Lake in just 4.5 hours.
Before this new route, reaching ski resorts meant juggling flights, buses, or slow trains. Today, the sleek bullet train carves through hills and rivers – 77 percent of its route runs on bridges or in tunnels – overcoming freezing winters and complex geology with world-class engineering.
But this is just one highlight from the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Across the Chinese mainland:
- High-Speed Rail: A prototype CR450 runs at 400 km/h, and 97 percent of cities with over 500,000 residents are now connected by bullet train. Passengers can order meals, book seats via mobile apps, and even find dedicated carriages for older adults.
- Road Networks: The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region – now the world's longest expressway tunnel – cuts the mountain crossing from three hours to 20 minutes. Over 30,000 rural towns and 500,000 villages are now linked by paved roads, sparking new local businesses in catering and tourism.
- Air Travel & Cargo: Annual investments of 100 billion yuan have extended flight services to 91.2 percent of the population. Global air freight surged to nearly 9 million tonnes in 2024 – up 32.8 percent from 2020 – driven by e-commerce.
- Global Connectivity: The China-Laos Railway lets people breakfast in Kunming and dine in Vientiane on the same day. The Chancay Port in Peru under the Belt and Road initiative now delivers South American produce to Asia 10 days faster.
With a high-tech network of rail, road, air, and waterways, transportation is leading the charge in the Chinese mainland's modernization drive – reshaping mobility, boosting local economies, and knitting communities closer together.
Reference(s):
Transportation becoming a pioneer for China's modernization drive
cgtn.com
