STORY: High-speed rail network extends to south China's Karst regions
DATELINE: Aug. 31, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:38
LOCATION: NANNING/GUIYANG, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): HUANG KAIYING, Xinhua correspondent
2. various of the launching ceremony
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU SHANGQIAN, Deputy director of Guiyang-Nanning High-speed Railway construction headquarters office
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): TAN CHENJIANG, Chief conductress of G4308 Fuxing bullet train
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): Resident in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): HUANG JIAN, Official, Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): HUANG KAIYING, Xinhua correspondent
"I'm now at Nanning (East) Railway Station, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. This Fuxing bullet train is about to be launched, which will mark the official opening for commercial service of Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway. The line, 482 km in length, will cut the journey time between Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province, and Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, from over five hours to no more than three hours."

With a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway is the first railway of its kind to be built in either Guizhou or Guangxi, both of which are known for their Karst landscapes.

The new railway has 13 stations, with the Guizhou section housing six of those stations and the Guangxi section housing seven stations.

The building process had been dogged by many engineering challenges due to complex and often unfavorable geological conditions. 

According to chief designers of the railway, the difficulty lies in how to minimize the ecological impact while ensuring the stability and quality of the construction, and the ecological protection was the top priority of the project.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU SHANGQIAN, Deputy director of Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway construction headquarters office
"The Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway is the first one that I joined to be built through such vast Karst regions. As a constructor of this project, I'm thrilled to see its opening after years of strenuous efforts."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): TAN CHENJIANG, Chief conductress of G4308 Fuxing bullet train
"I'm the chief conductress of this train, and also one of Maonan ethnic people. I'm honored to work for the maiden journey of the Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway. Since there was no high-speed railway in Huanjiang county, we have anticipated this day for long."

For many Maonan people like Tan, the launch of the rail route has brought hopes to the development of their hometown, the Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): Resident in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County
"We hope that the high-speed railway will bring more tourists to Huanjiang, and then they can promote our specialty products to the outside world. This is what I hope for the most."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): HUANG JIAN, Official, Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
"The completion and opening of the Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway is important to the economic development and shared prosperity in the region, and China-ASEAN cooperation."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Naning and Guiyang, China.
(XHTV)