Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region launched a new bullet train service on Thursday, offering a direct connection between its capital city Urumqi and Hami, another important city in the region. The service allows passengers to travel between the two cities in just two hours and 29 minutes, a reduction of up to 58 minutes compared with other bullet trains running on the same route. The direct service is a major step towards improving transportation in Xinjiang, making travel more convenient for local residents. With this new service, Urumqi is now directly connected by train services to seven other key cities within Xinjiang. Urumqi resident Shao Liping expressed her appreciation for the time-saving benefit of the new service. "Previously, the trip from Urumqi to Hami took over three hours. But now, I noticed the travel time has been shortened by more than half an hour, and it's only two and a half hours. For people like us who commute to work, this extra half hour is really convenient. In the summer, we'll have time to have a meal and do some sightseeing in Hami. In the winter, the temperature won't be too low and it won't get too dark when we arrive there," said Shao. Hami resident Zhang Wei also welcomed the new service. "I hope Xinjiang can introduce more such direct train services, as this would greatly shorten the distance between our living and working areas," said Zhang. The launch of this new bullet train service is expected to further stimulate local socioeconomic development.
"The launch of this train service enables a direct point-to-point connection between the two cities without any stops along the way. With this, Xinjiang's railway authorities now operate direct train services connecting Urumqi to seven other key cities, including Yining, Bole, Karamay, Kashgar, Aksu, Korla, and Hami. This new service offers local passengers a new travel option and a new experience, while also contributing to the prosperity and development of the local economy," said Yang Li, a staff member of China Railway Urumqi Bureau.
Direct train service launched between Urumqi, Hami in China's Xinjiang
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
