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 | Saturday, May 06, 2000, updated at 10:48(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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Week-long Spring Holiday Awakens Royal RailwayA railway used by imperial families traveling to see their ancestors' graves was re-opened for tourists during China's first week-long spring holiday, which started May 1.The railway, linking Beijing with Yixian County of Hebei Province neighboring Beijing, was built in 1902, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). More than 10,000 laborers constructed the line using 620,000 taels of silver in six months. It was designed by Zhan Tianyou, a renowned Chinese expert on railways who studied in the U.S. as a youth. The royal family members rode the train to the western Qing Mausoleum, one of the most well-kept imperial mausoleums in China, occupying an area of more than 200 square kilometers. Four emperors, nine queens, and 80 concubines, princes, princesses, and brothers of emperors were buried in the tomb. The railway suffered near-destruction during the Japanese invasion in World War II. The high tourist count at the Qing Mausoleum inspired Beijing and Yixian County to reopen the rail line to the public. A special train with eight antique cars set off on the railway last Saturday. The special tourism railway has been connected to the state railway network.
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