At 10:30 AM on December 22, the G9785 Fuxing bullet train departed from Guangzhou Baiyun Station, marking another milestone in China's high-speed rail development. The newly operational Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-Speed Rail spans 401 kilometers with a design speed of 350 km/h, connecting Guangzhou with Foshan, Zhaoqing, Yunfu, Yangjiang, Maoming, and terminating at Zhanjiang North Station. This critical infrastructure links the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with Hainan Free Trade Port and the Beibu Gulf urban cluster, expanding Guangdong's high-speed rail network to 3,411 kilometers—now among the densest in China.
The simultaneous launch of the Shantou-Shantou South section of the Shantou-Shanwei High-Speed Rail creates dual "silver dragons" traversing Guangdong's eastern and western regions. This achievement completes China's coastal high-speed rail corridor from the Yangtze River Delta to the Beibu Gulf, strengthening economic integration among three national strategic zones.
For cities along the route like Zhaoqing and Zhanjiang, this represents more than reduced travel time—it's a fundamental reconfiguration of regional economic dynamics. Zhanjiang Economic Development Zone Director Yang Jiedong notes the transformative "same-city effect," positioning western Guangdong as the Greater Bay Area's vital "industrial partner" and "energy-material hub." The rail cuts Guangzhou-Zhanjiang travel to 90 minutes, integrating western Guangdong into the mega-region's economic orbit.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Guangdong's county-level economies grew faster than the provincial average for two consecutive years, with rural-urban income gaps narrowing. As a pivotal segment of China's "Eight Vertical Eight Horizontal" rail network, the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang line elevates Zhanjiang from a peripheral city to a multimodal transport hub facing ASEAN.
The province's economic achievements during this period include: - GDP surpassing 14 trillion yuan (topping global rankings for 36 consecutive years) - The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster ranking first globally - 77,000 high-tech enterprises producing 25% of China's NEVs and industrial robots - R&D spending reaching 510 billion yuan in 2024 (14% of national total)
Major engineering feats like the 9,720-meter Zhanjiang Bay undersea tunnel (China's longest urban-undersea rail tunnel) and the 10.99-kilometer Gongling Mountain tunnel demonstrate Guangdong's infrastructure prowess. These projects, overcoming complex geology and technical challenges, reflect China's high-speed rail engineering capabilities.
Looking ahead, Guangdong aims to solidify its position as a global hub for industrial and technological innovation, targeting modernization benchmarks by 2035. With economic output projected to double and per capita GDP reaching developed-nation levels, the province continues leading China's high-quality development trajectory.
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