Shanghai's huge, gleaming new Hongqiao Railway Station
The students and staff of the B.U. Shanghai Summer Programs arrived in Beijing today for our week away. We’ll visit major historical sites in the capital, then venture off to the Great Wall and the mountains north of the city.
We came via the high-speed train between Shanghai and Beijing; we made a journey equivalent to traveling from North Carolina to Boston in 4 hours and 40 minutes – not bad.
The speedometer in the cabin of the high-speed train (that's 187 mph)
China has embarked on massive infrastructure projects in recent years, with some very substantial results. The railway projects have not been without their problems, to be sure, including a major accident and numerous accusations of official corruption. But after taking this trip, it’s hard not to think that rail travel in the U.S. is about 30 years or so behind the times.
B.U. arrives in Beijing
It was a pleasant way to travel between these two huge, fast-changing cities, and a good start to our trip. If internet connections cooperate, I’ll continue to post about our experiences during the week.
