Talk of the town is the new Yangtze River Shanghai-Nanjing High-speed Railway which opened to fare-paying passengers ahead of the holiday. Auspicious for many be it; in theory it can usher in prosperity all around. In one particular place along the line, they’re banking on it.
At 09:25 on 28 September, the G7799 train departed Wuhan Station headed towards Shanghai Hongqiao Station, courtesy of the Yangtze River Shanghai-Nanjing High-speed Railway along the way. The brand new line had officially opened.
On that morning, there was a crowd of people in front of the newly-completed Wujin High-speed Railway Station. Many locals had turned out to witness the high-speed train arriving on their doorstep.
“I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time!”, said Pan Yanxing, a native of Wujin. Holding the national flag in her hand, she boarded that first service and excitedly explained to reporters that her home is a 20-minute drive from Wujin Station. Pan is looking forward to breakfast at home and going to Shanghai to eat pan-fried buns at noon. “As a Wujin person, I am so happy!”, she exclaimed.
But while Ms Pan invests in her ticket and buns, a bit more is on the line in Changshu City of Suzhou. For that’s where authorities have decided to heed the mantra, “Where a railway goes, economic prosperity is sure to follow”.
They’re banking on the new railway being key to bringing in smart folk to base themselves in the recently-capped Ivy International Talent Port.
Zoned for production, R&D, office space and apartments for all that talent, the Port’s concepts are, “accelerated industrialisation”, and, “high-speed rail + enclave”, in hopes of create a gathering highland for entrepreneurship.
Changshu has also wisely focused on the key little things about which incoming talent is most concerned, making sure to allow for children’s education and housing security, as well as medical and senior care.
But will it be enough? History reminds of the Pullman Strike, of May thru July of 1894, when railway workers paralysed trains across the American Midwest. It was only then that the true significance of railways to economic activity was fully understood.
But in Changshu, they are not hedging their bets. Increased tourism and educational initiatives, again thanks to that new Railway, are the back-up plan.
In recent years, Changshu has branded its tourism as “A city with mountains, rivers and a comfortable life”. But now, a rapid shift toward the integration of transportation and tourism is underway; “culture tourism + high-speed rail” is the new development model.
Realising this is an upgrade to tourist facilities in Changshu; the Ma Zhai Gongwang Hotel, Yuxi Courtyard Hotel and Huajianfu Yanboli Hotel with its Jiangnan water town characteristics, are all complete and ready to receive high-speed rail passengers.
On the education front, the reduction in travel time from half a day to 1 hour can bring about increased exchanges between schools and commerce.
Zhu Xiaomin, Deputy Dean of the School of Foreign Languages of Changshu Institute of Technology, spoke with the Yangtze Evening News to explain. “Convenient transportation not only helps students broaden their horizons and increase their knowledge, but also promotes cooperation and exchanges between schools in different regions, and between schools and enterprises, further improving the quality of education”, said Zhu.
“I told my parents last year that after it [the new railway] is opened, I will take them to Changshu by high-speed rail and have fun for a few days. It is finally coming true!”
