High-speed railway links major west China cities

Passengers are seen on the bullet train D4251 from Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 6, 2017. High-speed rail line linking Xi'an and Chengdu 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/Li Yibo)