Crew members of the train G3998 pose for a group photo at Ruijin Station in Ruijin, east China's Jiangxi Province, Sept. 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

　　* On Sunday morning, the high-speed train G3998 departed from Ruijin City in east China's Jiangxi Province, bound for Yan'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, linking the two revolutionary sacred sites by high-speed rail for the first time.

　　* The new rail line serves as a vital artery connecting eastern China with the city clusters in the northwest. It has forged an important corridor for economic exchange and created an efficient and convenient bridge for domestic and international travelers to visit the two major revolutionary sites of the Long March in person, and to gain a deeper understanding of China's journey from hardship to rejuvenation.

　　* Over the years, the Chinese government has continuously increased support for the old revolutionary base areas and steadily improved the transportation backbone network. Ruijin and Yan'an have both developed integrated, multi-modal transport networks covering aviation, high-speed rail and expressways, achieving a historic transformation in their transport landscapes.

　　NANCHANG, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- As the train pulled out of Ruijin Station and wound through rolling hills, 67-year-old Liu Ying leaned against the window, softly humming a melody she had known since childhood -- one that evokes the spirit of the epic Long March that shaped modern China more than 90 years ago.

　　Her grandfather, Liu Jinchang, was among the more than 86,000 soldiers of the Central Red Army who set out on the Long March in October 1934. He never returned.