High-speed railway links major west China cities

Stewardesses and passengers pose for a group photo to celebrate the operation of high-speed rail line linking Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, at the Chengdudong Railway Station in Chengdu, Dec. 6, 2017. The Xi'an-Chengdu railway high-speed rail line went into operation Wednesday, slashing the travel time between the two cities from about 11 hours to just 4. The 658-kilometer new line is China's first rail route running through the Qinling Mountains, the natural boundary between north and south China. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)