A Beautiful Way Home: Scenic new speed train between eastern and central China

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02:10

As the hustle and bustle of Chinese New Near approaches, what better way to get home, or see the country, than on high-speed rail? One new service is now connecting a major city with a host of popular tourist destinations. Have a look.

YANG CHENGXI HANGZHOU "To people looking for some holiday travel, the new Hangzhou-Huangshan high speed rail line could be a very attractive option. Follow me and you'll see what I'm talking about."

The 265-kilometer line starts from the eastern city of Hangzhou and passes through seven top Chinese tourist destinations.

JIN SHIJIE, DEPUTY GM HANGZHOU-HUANGSHAN RAILWAY CO. "When we were building this beautiful rail line, we always had environmental protection in mind. For example, in 2015 we came across two giant trees more than 850 years old on our designed route. Instead of cutting them down we spent 500 thousand yuan to relocate them. We treated the entire project with environmental consciousness."

Representatives from the tourist-friendly towns along the way held exhibitions on the maiden train. Thanks to the new line, travel time between eastern cities like Shanghai and the Huangshan mountain is shortened to just two and a half hours.

HUANG XIANHAI, DEAN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY "This new route will consolidate industries along the way. Economic cooperation between provinces will be enhanced. With fewer barriers, industry clusters will form in the area."

The Hangzhou-Huangshan line runs 33 round trip trains each day, and will add trains in peak travel seasons.

FENG HUI PASSENGER "I work in Hangzhou and visit my parents in Huangshan every month. It used to be very tiring because I had to endure a slow ride after I'm tired from work. Now with this train, my life becomes so much easier."

As the all-important Chinese Spring Festival nears, the Hangzhou-Huangshan high speed rail line will mean something much more to migrant workers, who long for a fast way home. YCX, CGTN, HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE.