Jingguang Railway
Encyclopedia
The Beijing–Guangzhou Railway or Jingguang Railway is a major arterial railway in the China
that connects Beijing
in the north with Guangzhou
in the south. This dual-track electrified line has a total length of 2,324 kilometres and spans five provinces through north
, central and south
China. The line passes through the provincial capitals of each of those provinces, namely: Shijiazhuang
of Hebei
Province, Zhengzhou
of Henan
Province, Wuhan
of Hubei
Province, Changsha of Hunan
and Guangzhou
of Guangdong
Province. The line's two terminal stations are the Beijing West Railway Station
and the Guangzhou Railway Station
.
The Jingguang Railway was originally two railways: the Beijing–Hankou Railway in the north from Beijing
to Hankou
, and the Guangdong–Hankou Railway in the south from from Wuchang to Guangzhou
. Hankou and Wuchang are both parts of the city of Wuhan
, separated by the Yangtze River
. The Jinghan Railway, 1,215 km in length, was built from 1897 to 1906. Work on the Yuehan Railway began in 1900 and progressed more slowly. The Guangzhou-Sanshui section was built in 1903. The Changsha-Zhuzhou section was completed in 1911, followed by the Guangzhou-Shaoguan section in 1916 and the Wuchang-Changsha section in 1918. Work on the last section between Zhuzhou and Shaoguan began in 1929 and was finally completed in 1936. In 1957, with the completion of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
, the two railways were joined into one line and renamed the Beijing–Guangzhou Railway, or Jingguang Railway.
On February 7, 1923, workers of the Beijing-Wuhan Railway Workers' association launched a massive strike demanding better workers' rights and protesting oppression by warlords. The strike organized by Shi Yang
and Lin Xiangqian was an early example of worker mobilization by the Communist Party of China
.
"Jingjiu" Through Train operates on this line. Prior to 2003, this train called at stops along the route before they were eliminated to create a through service directly from the capital to Hong Kong.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
that connects Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in the north with Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
in the south. This dual-track electrified line has a total length of 2,324 kilometres and spans five provinces through north
North China
thumb|250px|Northern [[People's Republic of China]] region.Northern China or North China is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain....
, central and south
Northern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
China. The line passes through the provincial capitals of each of those provinces, namely: Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
of Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
Province, Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
of Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
Province, Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
of Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
Province, Changsha of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
of Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
Province. The line's two terminal stations are the Beijing West Railway Station
Beijing west railway station
Beijing West Railway Station, also known as Beijing West or West Passenger Station is located in western Beijing's Fengtai District. Opened in early 1996 after three years of construction, it was the largest railway station in Asia with 510,000m². The station serves in average 150,000–180,000...
and the Guangzhou Railway Station
Guangzhou railway station
Guangzhou Railway Station serves the city of Guangzhou, China. It sits on the high speed Guangshen railway just west of Guangzhou East station. As one of the busiest railway stations in southern China, Guangzhou station is known for its notorious safety record...
.
History
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
to Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
, and the Guangdong–Hankou Railway in the south from from Wuchang to Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. Hankou and Wuchang are both parts of the city of Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, separated by the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. The Jinghan Railway, 1,215 km in length, was built from 1897 to 1906. Work on the Yuehan Railway began in 1900 and progressed more slowly. The Guangzhou-Sanshui section was built in 1903. The Changsha-Zhuzhou section was completed in 1911, followed by the Guangzhou-Shaoguan section in 1916 and the Wuchang-Changsha section in 1918. Work on the last section between Zhuzhou and Shaoguan began in 1929 and was finally completed in 1936. In 1957, with the completion of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
The Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge , commonly known as First Wuhan Yangtze Bridge, is the first bridge built over the Yangtze River in Wuhan.-Timing:...
, the two railways were joined into one line and renamed the Beijing–Guangzhou Railway, or Jingguang Railway.
On February 7, 1923, workers of the Beijing-Wuhan Railway Workers' association launched a massive strike demanding better workers' rights and protesting oppression by warlords. The strike organized by Shi Yang
Shi Yang
Shi Yang , born Shi Jichao , styled Bogao . Shi Yang was from the small village of Yang Family River in Zhushan County, Hubei Province...
and Lin Xiangqian was an early example of worker mobilization by the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
.
Places served
From north to south:- ShijiazhuangShijiazhuangShijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
- HandanHandanHandan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
- XinxiangXinxiangXinxiang is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to its southwest, Kaifeng to its southeast, Hebi and Anyang to its north, Jiaozuo to its west, and the provinces of Shanxi and Shandong to its northwest and...
- ZhengzhouZhengzhouZhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
- LuoheLuoheLuohe is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, People's Republic of China. It is surrounded by the cities of Xuchang, Zhoukou, Zhumadian and Pingdingshan on its north, east, south and west respectively.-Administration:...
- XinyangXinyangXinyang is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China, the southernmost such administrative division in the province.-Recent history:...
- HankouHankouHankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
- Wuchang
- YueyangYueyangYueyang is a prefecture-level city at the northeastern corner of Hunan province, South Central China, on the southern shores of Dongting Lake.The Yueyang metropolitan area occupies 14,896 km². and the city proper occupies 304 km²...
- Changsha
- ZhuzhouZhuzhouZhuzhou , formerly Jianning, is a city in Hunan Province, China, southeast of Changsha beside the Xiangjiang River. It is part of the "ChangZhuTan Golden Triangle"...
- HengyangHengyangHengyang is the second largest city of China's Hunan Province. It straddles the Xiang River about 160 km south of Changsha.-History:Its former name was Hengzhou . This was the capital of a prefecture in the Tang Dynasty's Jiangnan and West Jiangnan circuits...
- ShaoguanShaoguanShaoguan , historically known as Shaokwan and Shao-chow, is a prefecture-level city in the north of Southern China's Guangdong province...
- GuangzhouGuangzhouGuangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
Service
Currently, the nonstop Beijing-KowloonBeijing-Kowloon Through Train
The Beijing-Kowloon Through Train is an intercity railway service between Hung Hom Station in Hong Kong and the Beijing West Railway Station, jointly operated by the MTR of Hong Kong and China's national rail service. The train runs to Beijing and Hong Kong every other day...
"Jingjiu" Through Train operates on this line. Prior to 2003, this train called at stops along the route before they were eliminated to create a through service directly from the capital to Hong Kong.
See also
- List of railways in China
- Beijing-Kowloon Railway
- Rail transport in the People's Republic of ChinaRail transport in the People's Republic of ChinaRail transport is the most commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in the People's Republic of China. Almost all rail operations are handled by the Ministry of Railways, which is part of the State Council of the People's Republic of China...