Extended rail network to boost living standards and development

Bond with Hong Kong

"I was demobilized and started working on the railway in 1997, the year Hong Kong returned to the motherland," Huang said.

He recalled that to celebrate the event, the railways were decorated with colorful flags and banners. On the day of the handover, many people watched the live TV coverage to share the joy with their compatriots.

"Seeing our motherland take back one of her straying children, every Chinese was overjoyed. It also meant that our motherland had grown stronger," he said.

The Jingjiu link was opened on Sept 1, 1996, to mark the handover.

Some staff members were dispatched to the small station to prepare for the grand opening of the county's first and only railway line.

Every day, about 15 trains pass through Xinfeng station, on a line that runs through green fields and lush mountains.

Jiang Meifei was one of those staff members. He came to Xinfeng in August 1996 as a station attendant and is now head of the station, having worked there ever since.