Haikus Written in Praise of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games

by Lu Cairong

Haiku is a traditional and structured short poem basically following a 5-7-5-character line pattern. Using concise and sharp haiku to sing of new things in the new era has become a trending practice in contemporary Chinese poetry. The new practice boosts Chinas morale， builds up its national spirit， and bolsters the spirit of the times.

In mid-April， I hosted a press release on Reborn： The Century-Old BeijingZhangjiakou Railway （a new book published by Foreign Languages Press） at Taizicheng Station on the BeijingZhangjiakou high-speed railway， visited Zhan Tianyou Memorial Museum in Beijing and participated in a Party history study session at Qinglongqiao Station（also on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway）. I wrote these haikus after being inspired by these events.

Zhan Tianyou （third left）， designer of the BeijingZhangjiakou Railway， poses for a group photo with his colleagues in front of a railway inspection train， 1909. CFB

Century-old Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway A typical symbol of Heavens blessings for China A light of hope of national rejuvenation

Note： The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway consists of two rail lines – an old line and a new line. The new line， called the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway， is made for smart bullet trains that run at 350 kilometers an hour， which is a historic leap over the old line that was built a hundred years ago to service trains that ran at only 35 kilometers an hour. From 1909 to 2019， the evolution from the opening of the first railway designed and built independently by Chinese to the entry into service of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway marks not just a leap forward in speed from 35 to 350 kilometers per hour， but also remarkable growth of Chinas national strength. From the lens of history of the past 100 years， I can see clearly how special the BeijingZhangjiakou Railway is because it is a witness both to the development of Chinas railway system and to the development of the country itself.

Smart high-speed trains came a long way from days old Auspicious Snow， ushering in spring， shows snow is not always cold Dragon and Phoenix can now bring luck to those who seek gold

Note： Smart bullet trains， which are part of the Fuxing series made for athletes and other passengers to travel during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games， feature two painted exterior designs： Long Feng Cheng Xiang（Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix Racing in Harmony） and Rui Xue Ying Chun（Auspicious Snow Ushering in Spring）. These flying beauties will certainly benefit those who race against time.

A railway platform at a hundred meters below ground？ How was it done？ By way of drill and blast and small vibration To keep the Great Wall safe and sound

Note： Badaling Great Wall Station on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway lying 102 meters underground is so far the largest underground high-speed railway station in the world. To protect the ancient Great Wall， railway builders creatively used precise microdamage blasting technology to successfully complete the construction project.

Historic Qinglongqiao Station From a deep valley still shines brilliant Great is the herringbone track that overcame the steep gradient！

Note： When the historic Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway was being built， Zhan Tianyou and his engineering team creatively designed a zigzag section near Qinglongqiao Station to overcome the steep gradient. Using a locomotive at each end of the train， with the front one pulling and the rear one pushing， the train smoothly and safely passed through the valley. Today， the century-old station is still in service.

Taizicheng Station spanning the skyline A big eye gazing at the Olympic Medals Plaza and its moment to shine The world will be enthralled by it all

Note： Taizicheng Station on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway is in the Taizicheng Olympic Village area in Chongli District， Zhangjiakou， the co-host city of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The oval glass building on the Taizicheng Station Plaza directly facing the Olympic Medals Plaza is called the “Olympic Eye” where 51 gold medals will be awarded. The award ceremonies will be held in a natural environment featuring Taizicheng Station， the Town of Snow and Ice and the surrounding mountains.

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway has built a new “bridge” for regional coordinated development. It connects Beijing and Zhangjiakou， the two major venues of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The high-speed railway promotes the economic and tourism development of places along the route and brings new power to the coordinated development of the Beijing-TianjinHebei region. by Yang Baosen

A proud town of snow and ice Welcomes the worlds top athletes with love and hospitality All five continents will be strengthened by Olympism and unity

Note： At Taizicheng Station Plaza， a multifunctional town integrating accommodation， conference halls， a business center， and catering， leisure， and entertainment facilities， is being built to serve guests from all parts of the world.

A fun stadium built on a snow peak Drops a Snow Ruyi stretching down 160 meters Blooming like a white flower in midair

Note： To meet the needs of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games， the city of Zhangjiakou under the aegis of high mountains has built a National Ski Jumping Center nicknamed Snow Ruyi. The difference between the highest point of the stadium and the ground is more than 160 meters. Shaped like a Ruyi， an ornamental scepter traditionally symbolizing power and good fortune in China， the building is a gorgeous attraction.