China's sacred revolutionary heartland Yan'an launches high-speed rail link

A "Fuxing" bullet train is pictured at Yan'an Station of the new Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Dec. 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

XI'AN, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A sleek silver bullet train departed Yan'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Friday, linking the sacred revolutionary heartland to the country's rapidly expanding high-speed rail network.

The newly opened 299-km line connects Yan'an with Xi'an, the provincial capital and home to the famed Terracotta Warriors, slashing travel time between the two cities from about 2.5 hours to roughly one hour.

Yan'an, perched on the loess hills of northern Shaanxi, gained international attention through American journalist Edgar Snow's 1937 classic "Red Star Over China," which depicted the region as one of China's poorest areas but also as a beacon of hope, with the Communist Party of China (CPC) leading the country toward independence and liberation.

During the Long March (1934-1936), Mao Zedong and his comrades reached Yan'an, where they established the CPC headquarters and lived and worked for 13 years. This was the place where they led the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and where the War of Liberation commenced against the reactionary Kuomintang regime, before the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

"Yan'an is of great significance as it symbolizes the turning point of the Chinese revolution led by the CPC, and is the cradle of the great Yan'an Spirit," said He Lei, a professor at the China Executive Leadership Academy, Yan'an.

As a strategic stronghold in northwest China, Yan'an opened an airport nearly 90 years ago. However, due to difficult geological conditions on the Loess Plateau and other factors, it was not until 1992 that the first conventional railway connecting it to Xi'an was opened.

The arrival of high-speed rail in Yan'an comes 17 years after China opened its first high-speed railway line between Beijing and Tianjin in 2008, when the Olympics were held in the Chinese capital.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Yan'an has emerged as both a spiritual landmark for the Party's continued "self-revolution" and a symbol of successful poverty alleviation. New museums, Party education institutes, and upgraded infrastructure have drawn increased national attention. A visit by the newly elected top leadership days after the 20th CPC National Congress concluded in 2022 has further raised the city's profile.

"The Yan'an Spirit of maintaining the correct political direction, seeking truth from facts, serving the people wholeheartedly, and being diligent and enterprising will continue to lead the country to overcome difficulties and forge ahead bravely, and basically achieve modernization by 2035," He said.

Yan'an has become a destination for an increasing number of tourists seeking historical and contemporary inspiration. It is renowned for exporting fine thoughts, as well as abundant goods and resources -- from apples and intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship to mineral products. The city's GDP grew by 5.5 percent in 2024, outpacing the national average level.

The high-speed rail project started in 2021. Designed for operations of up to 350 km per hour, the line marked the fastest train running on the Loess Plateau.

More than half of the new route crosses soft, water-sensitive loess, presenting world-class engineering challenges in controlling ground settlement and ensuring structural stability.

The route is largely elevated or underground, with 91 percent running on bridges or through tunnels. Its 47 tunnels span over 169 km, more than three times the length of the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France.

The opening of this line has brought China's high-speed rail mileage to over 50,000 km, exceeding the total of all other countries combined.

Staff members check the first train of the new Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway at Yan'an Station in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 26, 2025. China, home to the world's largest high-speed rail network, has expanded its total operational mileage beyond 50,000 kilometers with the launch of the new Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)