Nothing like it in the world: China's time-tripping steam railway
Bagou -- a coal town that's seen
its population fall from 20,000 to 1,500 since its mine ceased operation
-- is an anomaly in China. It's a town that's actually worse off in
2013 than it was 50 years ago. The narrow-gauge rail line was built in
1958 to connect Bagou with the river town of Shibanxi and has six
intermediate stops along its 19.8-kilometer (12.3-mile) route.
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China's incredible Jiayang Railway
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- China's Jiayang Railway offers spectacular mountain scenery and a window into the Industrial Revolution
- Trains headed for the coal town of Bagou are powered by one of six working steam engines
- Buildings next to the platform at Huangcun, the final stop, are covered in Cultural Revolution slogans and artwork
The city recently hosted the Fortune Global Forum
and announced that visitors from 45 countries can enjoy a 72-hour
visa-free stay, further cementing its rise as a major tourism
destination.
Yet only two hours from
this metropolis of 14 million people lies a town that has remained
fundamentally untouched by the economic changes that have transformed so
many lives in China over the past 35 years.
Bagou -- a coal town that
has seen its population fall from a peak of 20,000 to 1,500 in the
years since the mine ceased operation -- is an anomaly in China. It's a
town that's actually worse off in 2013 than it was in 1963.
The vast workers'
auditorium, miners' cottages (several built by the British in the
1930s), schools and hospitals are all empty and in a state of abject
disrepair, but the fact that more tourists are arriving on the steam
railway means the town's worst days may now be behind it.
The narrow-gauge rail
line was built to connect Bagou with the river town of Shibanxi in 1958
and has six intermediate stops along its 19.8-kilometer (12.3-mile)
route.
Although used primarily for the transportation of coal, it continues to provide a passenger service.
In fact, until 2012 there
was no road to Bagou and the town could be reached only by train or on a
motorbike running alongside the tracks.
Tickets for "local"
trains cost 5 RMB (about 80 cents) to ride the line in its entirety,
while those for the new tourist trains from Yuebin are RMB 50 ($8).
These services are
air-conditioned, provide a seat (not guaranteed on local trains) and
will usually stop in Jiaoba to allow passengers to photograph the most
scenic part of the route.
All trains are powered by one of six working steam engines that are housed and serviced in Shibanxi.
More on CNN: Checking in on Chengdu, China's latest urban star
The final stop on the old line is Huangcun Station.
China's industrial heritage
Most passengers, both
locals and tourists, disembark in Bagou, but an interesting alternative
is to continue to the final stop, Huangcun, to take in the Cultural
Revolution slogans and artwork that decorate the buildings right next to
the platform.
Huangcun is also home to the coal mine Bagou and its surrounding villages relied on for more than 70 years.
The mine has been open
as a tourist attraction since 2008 and daughters of former miners (the
guides are all female) lead informative tours.
After emerging back into
daylight, the 20-minute walk to Bagou through plantain groves passes
many buildings of interest, including the former Occupational Disease
Clinic, hospital and middle school.
With a well put
together museum in Bagou, housed in the Soviet-built former
town-administrative center, the mine and steam engines mark the
beginning of a nascent interest in industrial heritage in China.
Steam enthusiasts arrive
from, chiefly, the UK, Germany, the U.S. and Japan, but it's Chinese
tourists that the town is trying to attract in larger numbers.
An increasing number of
chartered trains bringing in groups from Chengdu and further afield
attest to the success of the local campaign sign-posting the railway as
"a living fossil of the Industrial Revolution."
Along with the
industrial heritage appeal, Bagou is attracting tourists interested in
the social history aspect of a town that has been frozen in time.
A superintendent of the former Workers' Theatre proudly looks after
old images of Hua Guofeng, Sun Yatsen, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.
Cultural Revolution
artwork and slogans that adorn many buildings have been repainted and
the original "Mao stage," where only 40 years ago "struggle sessions"
viciously humiliated supposed class enemies, has been authentically
restored.
The Jiayang Railway
makes a fascinating addition to the well-established local itinerary of
Emei Mountain and Leshan Big Buddha. With outstanding hiking
opportunities in the bamboo-covered hills that surround the line, fresh,
fiery and delicious Sichuan food and accommodation at RMB 50-100 per
night it also makes for an ideal weekend excursion from Chengdu.
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