"Grandpa walked the entire Long March in straw sandals. Today, I'm taking the high-speed rail to follow in his footsteps, to see Yan'an with my own eyes," said Wang Wanping, a descendant of Red Army veteran Wang Rushen, clutching his grandfather's old photograph and a commemorative medal. Inspired by his grandfather's teachings, Wang Wanping has devoted himself to education for many years and has taught at a remote primary school in Ruijin.

　　Wu Jiancai, deputy secretary of the Party branch of the Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed Railway Project Department, China Railway 21st Bureau Group Co., Ltd., had participated in the construction of both the conventional Xi'an-Yan'an railway and the high-speed line.

　　He said that while the routes' length and speed have changed, the drive to build roads through mountains and bridges across waters has remained unchanged. Once his current project wraps up, he said, he plans to take the high-speed train from Yan'an to Ruijin to see for himself the monumental changes the railway has brought to the old revolutionary base areas.

　　Actresses perform on the first high-speed train from Ruijin in east China's Jiangxi Province to Yan'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

　　NEW ROUTE, NEW PROSPECTS

　　No sooner had Yu Qiumei, deputy director of Ruijin's bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism, learned of the new direct high-speed rail service to Yan'an than she picked up the phone to call her counterparts in the northern city.