Cultural Heritage - The Railroad II (English version)：Verdant Grasslands and Golden Deserts

On this journey, we will visit cities along the Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-Speed Railway. Our first stop will be Lanzhou, the city through which the Yellow River passes. There, we will feast our eyes on water wheels modelled after ancient designs and also learn how its renowned noodles are made. We will also go to Dan Gar Ancient City in Huangyuan County, Xining, to observe how a local intangible cultural heritage is crafted.

Along the way, we will stop by Gui’de County in Qinghai Province to witness the Yellow River running clear, and also call by Zhangye to visit the Shandan Horse Ranch which has more than 1,000 years of history. After a tour of a renowned melon plantation in Hami, we will venture deep into the Barköl Kazakh Autonomous County to ultimately end our expedition at the Heavenly Lake of Tianshan, a place frequented by the Queen Mother of the West.

The Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-Speed Railway has a total length of 1,776 km. With its eastern terminus in Lanzhou, it passes through Xining, Zhangye, Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, Hami, and Turpan to reach its western terminus in Ürümqi, Xinjiang. It is the first high-speed railway in China to be built on a plateau, at high altitude, and in an alpine region. It is also the longest high-speed railway in the world to be completed in a single phase.

Producer: Leslie Ng
Assistant Producer: Dorothy Yip