Fast train - 300 K/hr in China

Fast train for 700 km

The next day we visit two cement plants – the first one 700 km away.  To reach it we take the high speed train for 3 hrs.  I am quite impressed by their train system, with very modern train stations, and the train hitting a top speed of 305 km/hr.  On the train you hardly notice the speed, the ride is so smooth and the scenery isn’t passing by that quickly to make you think you are going 300 kph.  Unfortunately the scenery is not that interesting.

The construction is still going on everywhere is incredible.  In every city that we pass through there are major apartment buildings under construction as well as new business parks.  I hear two stories however to make you think that all this growth is an illusion; One lady bought an apartment in a new building and after moving in found that despite all the apartments being  sold (bought on speculation), the building was only 10% occupied. This created a problem for her in the winter, when the management wouldn’t heat the building due to its low occupancy.   In the other example,  a company moved offices from one building to another after only 3 yrs due to a new one being built nearby and was in better condition.

The air quality during my visit was fine, or rather it didn’t stink. The sky was never blue and had a grey colour to it the whole time.  The greyness was referred to as “Beijing Blue” meaning that that is as blue as it gets in Beijing.

At the plant visit, the only thing that stands out for me are these motorcycles that have umbrellas on them.  Must be quite the robust design to prevent being ripped apart!