Hong Kong expands high-speed rail network with 16 new direct mainland destinations

Hong Kong has further expanded its high-speed rail network into the Chinese mainland, launching direct services to 16 new cities including Wuxi, Quanzhou, and Hefei.

This expansion, including Monday's addition of the 16 new railway stops, brings the total number of mainland destinations directly accessible from Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station to 110, spanning 19 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.

At 14:05 on Monday, the inaugural G386 train departed from Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station bound for Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province.

"This is a vivid manifestation of our motherland's development. I am very excited and feel honored to be able to take the inaugural train from Hong Kong to Wuxi," said Tang Ming Chien, honorary advisor of the Hong Kong Wuxi Association, who was also aboard the train.

During the journey, the high-speed train became a moving "cultural salon", featuring live performances of Wuxi Opera, Suzhou Pingtan, and folk music ensembles.

"I believe that with the launch of this direct high-speed rail service, more and more people in Hong Kong will return to Wuxi to visit the city's beautiful landscapes and witness the development of their hometown. Exchanges and cooperation between the two places will reach a new level," said Chan Chik Pun, vice president of the Federation of Hong Kong Jiangsu Community Organizations.

The G386 train arrived at Wuxi East Station around 22:00 after an approximately eight-hour journey.

On Tuesday morning, the G384 train, operating as a through service, departed smoothly from Wuxi East Station. After making scheduled stops at nine stations including Nanjing South and Hefei South, it arrived at Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station at 17:52 that same day.

In addition, Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province has also established its first direct high-speed rail connection to Hong Kong. Passengers no longer need to take transfer in Fuzhou or Xiamen, as was previously required, significantly reducing both travel time and cost.

"With the train's new stop at Quanzhou South Railway Station, travel time from Quanzhou to Hong Kong West Kowloon has been shortened. We have simultaneously updated our directional signage and set up a dedicated inquiry window at the service counter to provide passengers with a smooth cross-border travel experience," said Tong Yapeng, deputy head of Quanzhou South Railway Station.

Hong Kong expands high-speed rail network with 16 new direct mainland destinations

Smart wearable devices are increasingly embedded in daily life in China, where booming sales of watches and smart glasses are reshaping the consumer electronics market.   In Beijing's Chaoyang District, smart watches have become a popular choice for shoppers seeking tools to monitor sleep, heart rate and stress.

"I often use my smart watch to monitor my sleep, heart rate, and stress. I hope it could also incorporate AI functions, allowing me to chat with it in-depth or help me complete some simple tasks," said a customer.

Beyond watches, smart glasses powered by large‑model technology are entering China's consumer market, reshaping the landscape of wearable electronics.

"It is more convenient to use smart glasses as earphones at work. This is my third pair of smart glasses, and the functions of the new one is much better than the previous ones," said a customer.

"Smart wearable devices have evolved significantly, shifting from simply displaying data to facilitating effective user interaction. As these product categories update at an accelerating pace and user demands grow increasingly diverse, manufacturers are compelled to accelerate their own cycles of innovation in both functional design and hardware configuration. Take smartwatches as an example: sales in this category have increased by more than 40 percent (compared to the same period in 2024)," said Zhang Jie, manager of Beijing Shuangjing Branch of JD Mall.

According to the latest worldwide quarterly wearable device tracker, in the first three quarters of 2025, global wrist-worn device shipments reached 150 million units, a year-on-year increase of 10 percent. 

Among them, China's cumulative shipments totaled 58.43 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 27.6 percent. In the first half of 2025, the global smart glasses shipments reached 4.065 million units, a year-on-year increase of 64.2 percent, and China's cumulative shipments exceeded 1 million units.

China smart wearables growth fuels consumer electronics boom