Lhasa rail celebrates first decade

About 1,375 years ago, Wen Cheng, a Han princess of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), took nearly three years to travel the 2,800 kilometers from today's Xi'an, Shaanxi province, to Lhasa, Tibet, to marry Songtsan Gampo, the Tibetan king.

Now, thanks to the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway 10 years ago, the trip takes just 32 hours.

People across the country have enjoyed the modern benefits of speed and economy. Zhou Heng, 25, can reach his fiancee in Lhasa in less than four days from his hometown in Dalian, Liaoning province.