Scenic train routes may intrigue you to explore China

Photo taken on Feb. 1, 2018 shows bullet trains waiting to be maintained in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

China's railway operation mileage reached 146,300 km by the end of last year, with 37,900 km of high-speed railways, data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. showed.

The expanding high-speed rail network is offering unprecedented convenience and comfort to travelers and boosting local development as well.

Aerial photo taken on July 26, 2020 shows a hot air balloon flying over Zhangye Geopark in Zhangye, northwest China's Gansu Province. The geological park was approved as a Global Geopark by the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its 209th session on July 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Fan Peishen)

Chinese companies have developed world-leading capabilities in building high-speed railways in extreme natural conditions. High-speed railway routes across China have been designed to suit its varying climate and geographical conditions.

The Harbin-Dalian high-speed railway travels through areas where the temperature drops to as low as 40 degree Celsius below zero in winter, the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway passes through the savage Gobi Desert and the Hainan Island railway can withstand a battering from typhoons.

Photo taken on March 16, 2020 shows the cole flower fields in the Jiangling scenic area of Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

But for some travelers, the most intriguing part on the railways is that they can go through some of China's best scenic tourist destinations. The train journeys provide not only beautiful sceneries at terminus cities but also charming views outside the trains' windows on the way.

Areial photo taken on Jan. 1, 2021 shows tourists visiting the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)