From January to June this year, the six high-speed rail stations in Huangshan City handled a total of 3.642 million passenger departures, reflecting a 28.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Arriving passengers reached 3.632 million, marking a year-on-year growth of 29.5%. Among these, Huangshanbei Station alone recorded 3.088 million departures, up 30.6% from the previous year, and 3.056 million arrivals, representing a 31.4% year-on-year increase.

What are the reasons behind the significant growth in high-speed rail passenger numbers in Huangshan City? How is this growth connected to the city's cultural and tourism industry? Furthermore, what impacts do these connections have on Huangshan's economic and social development?

The expanding high-speed rail network has reshaped concepts of time and space, making distant destinations easily accessible.

On January 5 this year, the first direct high-speed rail service from Huangshan to Hong Kong was launched. The journey from Huangshanbei Station to Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station now takes just 5 hours and 28 minutes. Previously, travelers had to first take a train from Huangshanbei Station to Shenzhenbei Station before transferring to Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station.

On June 28, 2015, the Anhui section of the Hefei-Fuzhou High-Speed Railway began operation, giving Huangshan City its first high-speed train connection beyond the mountains. In December 2018, the Hangzhou-Huangshan High-Speed Railway opened; in December 2023, the Nanchang-Jingdezhen-Huangshan High-Speed Railway commenced service; in April 2024, the Chizhou-Huangshan High-Speed Railway was launched; and in October 2024, the Xuancheng-Jixi High-Speed Railway started operation... Today, a crisscrossing high-speed rail network is taking shape. With the sequential opening of multiple high-speed rail lines, Huangshan City has successively built six high-speed rail stations, including Huangshanbei Station, Shexianbei Station, and Sanyang Station, achieving comprehensive county-level high-speed rail coverage and connecting all districts and counties.

Since the opening of the Chizhou-Huangshan High-Speed Railway, travelers from the Yangtze River Economic Belt can reach Huangshan City more conveniently, and there has been a noticeable increase in passengers transferring southbound via Huangshanbei Station. After the opening of the Xuancheng-Jixi High-Speed Railway and the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-Speed Railway, travelers from surrounding cities such as Shanghai, Suzhou, and Nanjing find it easier to visit Huangshan, with significant growth in weekend passenger flow.

In addition to the expanding network, train services to Huangshan City have become more frequent. Starting from 00:00 on January 5 this year, the national railway system implemented a new train schedule. Following the adjustment, the daily scheduled trains at Huangshanbei Station increased from 198 to 250, adding 52 services. Furthermore, based on passenger flow fluctuations, the station operates additional trains during peak periods to destinations such as Nanjing, Shanghai, Hefei, and Beijing.

With the increasingly dense rail network and more frequent train services, the role of Huangshanbei Station as a transportation hub has become increasingly prominent. In 2015, the station averaged 5,200 daily passenger departures; by 2019, this figure had risen to 10,000 daily departures. In 2024, while daily departures increased to 14,600, the annual volume of departing and arriving passengers surpassed 10 million for the first time. In the first half of this year, the average daily passenger departures reached a new record high.

On the afternoon of July 5, the themed tourist train "Qiyun Lifestyle Residence · Walking through Huizhou" made its inaugural journey. This themed train represents an innovative initiative by Shanghai Railway International Tourism Group Co., Ltd. and Xiuning County to deepen the integration of culture and tourism and promote regional collaboration. In the future, the two parties will cooperate in areas such as tourism market expansion, tourism product development, and optimization of transportation services, linking the vitality of the Yangtze River Delta with the tranquility of ancient Huizhou in an effort to create a new model of "fast travel and slow tourism." 

As a tourist city, Huangshan has repeatedly introduced combined "high-speed rail + scenic spot" ticket discounts to leverage the "high-speed rail + cultural tourism" advantage. On April 26 last year, coinciding with the opening of Huangshanxi Station, the Huangshan District organized over 100 scenic spots, hotels, homestays, and local specialty enterprises to launch multiple preferential policies. Passengers could present their train tickets and valid ID upon arrival at Huangshanxi Station to enjoy free admission to seven scenic areas including Emerald Valley, Jiulong Waterfall, and Dongtian Bay, along with 20% off à la carte dining and 40% to 12% discounts on standard hotel and homestay rates. From July 1 to September 30 this year, passengers arriving in Huangshan can present their train tickets and valid ID within three days of arrival to enjoy discounted admission to attractions such as Huangshan Jiulong Waterfall, Huizhou Grand Canyon, and Huashan Mysterious Caves, as well as accommodation discounts, with some offers as low as 72% off. 

Whether they can reach scenic areas and hotels quickly and conveniently from the high-speed rail station is one of the most important factors for passengers when choosing high-speed rail travel. Currently, Huangshanbei Station operates seven tourist transport routes to destinations including Huangshan South Gate, Huizhou Ancient City, Qiyun Mountain, Hongcun Village, and Xidi Village. To enhance transportation connectivity between high-speed rail stations and scenic spots, Huangshan's six high-speed rail stations have collectively launched 21 dedicated tourist transport lines, linking over 40 scenic attractions. "We are accelerating the establishment of a comprehensive, convenient, and seamless integrated tourism transport system that provides direct access to scenic areas, striving to offer tourists a seamless 'one-stop' travel experience," said Song Qi, head of the Road Passenger Transport Section at the Huangshan Road Transport Management Service Center. 

As speeding trains dramatically shorten the distance to the "poetry and distant lands," they also bring about the phenomenon of "quick visits and quick departures." To transform these "passing travelers" into "deep-experience seekers," Huangshan City has actively developed its nighttime economy, using light as its brush and culture as its ink. Nowadays, as night falls and the city lights up, intangible cultural heritage performances such as the traditional iron molten flower display at Qiyun Mountain Scenic Area, the golden dragon dance along the Hengjiang River, and the charcoal flower dance are staged as scheduled. The large-scale epic cultural tourism show "Hui Show" begins at the Huangshan Performing Arts Center, while the flagstone paths of Chengkan Village in Huizhou District come alive with dancing fish lanterns and bustling crowds. Statistics show that from January to June this year, Huangshan's accommodation sector achieved a revenue of 2.65 billion yuan, marking an 8.4% year-on-year increase.

"When I checked my phone navigation and saw it only takes 10 minutes from Huangshanbei Station to get here, I decided on a spontaneous trip," shared Wang Lili, a tourist from Shanghai, when met by a reporter on the flagstone bridge of Xixinan Village in Huizhou District on July 17. Wang said that traveling from the urban bustle to pastoral tranquility in just over two hours allows her to easily switch into a "micro-getaway" mode whenever she wishes.

In recent years, leveraging the convenience of high-speed rail, many traditional villages in Huangshan have ridden the "rails" to success, becoming popular tourist destinations. Xixinan Village in Huizhou District, renowned as the "real-life version of the Enchanted Forest," is one such example.

To fully leverage the connectivity brought by high-speed rail, Xixinan Village has launched a dedicated tourist shuttle bus service to Huangshanbei Station, with departures every half hour during statutory holidays. Today, this traditional village of less than three square kilometers has established over 80 homestays and hotels, introduced and cultivated more than 40 businesses in cultural creativity, coffee, and other sectors, attracted and supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs and employees, and achieved an annual tourism revenue exceeding 200 million yuan.

The changes driven by high-speed rail are also evident in Xidi Town, home to Yixiandong Station. Yuanchuan Village is located just one kilometer from Yixiandong Station. After the station began operations in December 2023, Xu Guihua, a villager who had been working in Shanghai, returned to his hometown and converted his family house into a homestay. "All the furniture, including beds, tables, and chairs, was crafted using traditional Huizhou woodworking techniques, with meticulous cutting and polishing," Xu Guihua explained. The classic Huizhou architectural style has attracted many repeat guests. Currently, the homestay maintains an occupancy rate of over 80% on regular days and is fully booked during holidays.

Xu Yue, Deputy Town Mayor of Xidi Town, shared that Xu Guihua is not the only villager who has returned to open a homestay. Since Yixiandong Station opened, the town has seen the addition of more than 70 new homestays. 

From January to June this year, scenic spots across Huangshan City received 23.9595 million tourist visits, a year-on-year increase of 17.92%. In the view of Cheng Yan, Director of the Huangshan Culture and Tourism Bureau, "high-speed rail + cultural tourism" not only facilitates more efficient "physical connectivity" between tourists and scenic areas but also represents the introduction of new cultural and tourism elements, scenarios, and spaces. Achieving a better "chemical reaction" in tourism-transport integration requires more innovative collaboration and resource integration.

Source: Anhui Daily