New high-speed railway paves way for seamless tourism in east China

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2023 shows Qimen South Station of Hangzhou-Nanchang high-speed railway in Qimen County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

NANCHANG, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A new high-speed railway connecting a series of popular tourist attractions in east China commenced full operation on Wednesday, which is poised to boost the development of tourism and other industries.

The entire 560-km-long Hangzhou-Nanchang high-speed railway is now operational after the section connecting Huangshan City in Anhui Province and Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province was officially put into use following over five years of construction.

The Hangzhou-Huangshan section, which kicked off operation in late 2018, has a designed speed of 250 km per hour, while the Huangshan-Nanchang section boasts a designed speed of 350 km per hour.

The railway route passes through a region rich in tourist attractions featuring scenic lakes, mountains, ancient villages and cultural treasures like porcelain and tea.

In addition to nine top-level national sightseeing spots, such as UNESCO World Heritage sites like the West Lake and Huangshan Mountain, as well as the world-famous "porcelain capital" Jingdezhen, over 70 scenic spots with a 4A-level rating, the second-highest in the country's tourism evaluation system, are located along the railway.

High-speed railway has become a preferred transportation choice among Chinese travelers. As of the end of November, the total operation mileage of China's high-speed railway network totaled 43,700 km. ■