Chongqing- On June 20, the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway was put into operation. The tour from Chongqing in southwestern China to Zhengzhou in the central region was cut in half from 8 hours to 4 hours.

The Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway is like a golden ribbon, further improving the high-speed railway network in central and southwestern China. It connects the rich cultural and tourism resources of the cities along the line.

In the Chongqing section, the traditional Three Gorges tours are mostly road trips or boat tours, and the fatigue of boats and cars makes many tourists stay away. Today, the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway provides a new option for Three Gorges tourism.

• The Three Gorges and Lesser Three Gorges, Wushan County, Chongqing

For a long time, Wushan, which is located in the easternmost part of Chongqing, has been affected by traffic. Most tourists can only drive or take a cruise to Wushan, which is slow and time-consuming, and the local tourism industry has been unable to develop. Today, it takes only 2 hours to take the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway from Chongqing to Wushan Station.

Wushan Mountains boasts a panoramic view of the Wu Gorge of the Yangtze River and part of the Qutang Gorge, featuring a breathtaking view of strange peaks, jagged rocks, and continuous cliffs. Billed as a "Chinese Wonderland" and "the most beautiful scenery in the world," the Lesser Three Gorges Scenic Area was honored as the "Top 40 Chinese Tourist Attractions" in 1991 and became the "First National 5A Tourist Attractions" in 2007.

• Baidicheng and Qutang Gorge Scenic Spot, Fengjie County, Chongqing

On the next day, tourists can take the train to Fengjie. Well-known poets of the past dynasties, such as Li Bai and Du Fu, all visited Baidicheng and the Kuimen Gate, leaving behind many famous works. Therefore, Baidicheng is reputed as a poetry city.

Take a cruise from Baidicheng to the Qutang Gorge Scenic Spot, where the desperate "Kuimen Gate" comes into view. Kimen Gate is the western gate of Qutang Gorge and the western entrance to the Three Gorges. The river is fast in this section, and the high gorges on both sides of the river stand hundreds of meters high but less than a hundred meters wide, shaped like a doorway guarding the Three Gorges, hence the name Kuimen Gate. The landscape pattern on the back of the 10 yuan banknote in the fifth set of RMB was taken here.

• Longgang Scenic Area, Yunyang County, Chongqing

The third station comes to Yunyang County. Yunyang Longgang Scenic Area is praised by tourists as the last "Shangri-La" along the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and by outdoor enthusiasts as "Little Huashan Mountain" of Chongqing. The scenic area is composed of the biological landscape of Qishan Meadow, the island scenery around Qingshui Lake, Tujia ethnic culture, and the natural landscape of karst landforms such as Longgang Tiankeng (lit. sinkhole), the Grand Canyon of Shisun River and Da'an Cave. It features grace, serene, grandeur, wildness, incredibility, and precipitousness, abounding with mountains, forests, caves, rocks, and streams.

• Shennongjia Nature Reserve, Hubei Province

As a tourist line, Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway also connects many other famous tourist attractions such as Shennongjia in Hubei Province and Shaolin Monastery in Songshan Mountain (Mount Song) in Henan Province.

The Shennongjia Nature Reserve in eastern Hubei Province shares its border with Chongqing. It was listed as a world heritage by UNESCO in 2016. It protects the largest primary forests remaining in Central China and provides habitat for many rare animal species, such as the Chinese Giant Salamander, the Golden or Sichuan Snub-nosed Monkey, the Clouded Leopard, Common Leopard, and the Asian Black Bear. The site featured prominently in the history of botanical research and was the object of international plant collecting expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

In order to welcome the opening of the high-speed railway, the tourism department of Shennongjia has taken active actions. Within one month of the opening of the railway, tourists can visit the core scenic spots in Shennongjia for free with their tickets for arriving at the Shennongjia high-speed railway station.

• Shaolin Temple, Henan Province

After the opening of the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway, starting from Chongqing in the morning, passengers can arrive in Zhengzhou at noon. The world-famous Shaolin Temple is no longer far away for tourists in Chongqing.

Shaolin Temple is a renowned temple recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. Standing out for its great aesthetic value and its profound cultural connotations, it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The main pillars of Shaolin culture are Chan Buddhism and martial arts. This cultural heritage, still constituting the daily temple life, represents Chinese civilization. Shaolin culture has spread worldwide as a distinctive symbol of Chinese culture and a means of foreign cultural exchange.