New rail station eases access to cities for rural Yunnan

A railway station built in a town in Yunnan province to boost rural vitalization entered service on Saturday.

Run by China Railway Kunming Group Co, the station, which is on the line linking Dali Bai autonomous prefecture and the city of Lincang, is expected to benefit more than 300,000 people, according to the local government.

Located next to the Lancangjiang River in Xiaowandong town in Dali's Nanjian county, the Xiaowandong railway station is about 80 kilometers from downtown Nanjian. Four high-speed trains that start from Kunming, Lijiang and Lincang stop over at Xiaowandong railway station every day, making transportation between the town and the larger cities convenient and efficient.

"When I was 20 years old, I would walk for three hours from my home to the town and then I spent seven hours on a truck to reach the county," said Zha Wencai who lives in Lincang's Chajiang village.