CHINA has started service on the world’s longest high-speed rail route, the latest milestone in the country’s rapid and – sometimes troubled – super fast rail network.
The opening of the new 2298-kilometre line, between Beijing and Guangzhou, means passengers will be whisked from the capital to the southern commercial hub in less than a third of the 22 hours previously required.
China Central Television broadcast the departure of the first train live from Beijing West Railway Station and also carried live reports from inside, showing passengers snapping commemorative photos.
Trains will travel at an average speed of 300 kilometres per hour over the line, which includes 35 stops in major cities such as Zhengzhou, Wuhan on the Yangtze River and Changsha.
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More than four times the U.S. Population, China has about 1.4 billion people with the land area being about the same as the United States. The types of transportation you will find in China are a/c motor coaches, trains, domestic flights, boats of various sizes and rickshaws.
There are three main cities in China; Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Eight main cuisines: Shandong, Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui. Mandarin is the official language spoken.
China has 22 provinces, much like separate countries, 4 municipalities, and 5 autonomous regions.
In Beijing you will want to see the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs and the Great Wall. The local flavor of Beijing is roasted duck. Another one of the things you may want to do is visit the Beijing Opera. If you are interested in architecture you will want to check out the Water Cube (the National Aquatics Centre), Beijing Olympic Stadium, the CCTV Tower in the Central Business District, and the National Grand Theatre. The National Grand Theater is a huge glass and titanium dome-shaped structure designed by Paul Andreu.
Shanghai “the City by the Sea” which is located in central-eastern China is sectioned into two parts: Pudong (east of Huangpu River) and Puxi (west of the Huangpu River). Shanghai is the gateway to the third longest river in the world, the Yangtze River. It’s the largest and longest river in all of Asia. The Yangtze River is home to the largest construction project since the Great Wall, the Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges are known as the Sanxia or individually as Wuxia Gorge, Quatang Gorge, and the Xiling Gorge. The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydroelectric dam and the construction costs are more than any other construction project in history.
Xi’an “Peace in the West” is an ancient city, home of many important dynasties. One of the sites you will want to see is the 8,000 Terracotta Warriors which were founded by a farmer in the 1970’s and had been buried for more than 2,000 years. Huaqing Hot Spring, Xi’an City Wall, Xi’an Muslim Quarters and the Great Mosque, Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Forest of Stone Steles, and Hanyang Tombs are among the many other sites you will want to see.
Don’t forget to visit China’s National Treasure in Chengdu, home to the world’s largest giant and red Panda Reserve. It is conveniently located on the outskirts of Chengdu, home to about 80 giant pandas. On site is a research and breeding center with a museum. You can pay a fee to hold a Panda cub.
Leshan “Happy Mountain” is home of the world’s largest stone-carved Buddha depicting Maitreya Buddha. The Giant Buddha was carved during one of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, the Tang Dynasty.
Suzhou “city of gardens” has about 69 gardens that represent the different styles of Dynasties: Yuan, Ming, Song and Qing.
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