The incredible Chinese high-speed rail

Is this a magic trick, or scientific experiment? Well, it's maybe a bit of both. All aboard a high-speed train hurtling across the Chinese landscape at speeds up to 300 kilometers an hour!

这是一个神奇的魔术吗？还是一场科学实验？嗯，也可以说两者都是。其实,这是一个来自瑞士的小伙伴,在时速300公里的中国高铁上做的“立硬币”实验！

During this nine-minute video, the coin kept its balance, prompting a surge in online viewers worldwide. Some took to performing similar experiments on high-speed trains in their own countries… with varying levels of success!

在刚刚长达九分钟的视频里，立着的硬币始终保持着平衡，这在全世界引发了巨大的关注。国外的小伙伴纷纷开始在自己的国家效仿高铁试验，结果……

Although the Japanese high-speed train is also great, do you think that it is the safest? Or Shinkansen is the fastest? Think again! Chinese high-speed rail – or CRH – stands out in front, commanding the top-6 places in world speed rankings and some 60% of global high-speed track mileage.

虽然日本高铁也很厉害，但你还认为世界上最安全的高铁在日本？最快的是新干线？NO! 中国高铁，不仅承包了世界高铁平均速度的前六名，而且中国的运营里程数占据世界高铁总里程的60%以上。

The Beijing-to-Shanghai high-speed train has even clocked in speeds up to 480 kilometers an hour. That's about 300 miles an hour! And with this high speed, the time to travel from New York to Washington could be shortened from the original 3h50min to 53.5min.

中国京沪高铁的最高时速更是达到480公里。按这个最高时速，纽约到华盛顿的时间可以从现在的3小时50分钟一下缩短到53.5分钟。

In 2017, the Renaissance EMU train achieved an average 350 km-per-hour journey between Beijing and Shanghai. That kind of speed would get you from London to Edinburgh in less than two hours. But the price is just a mere 20 pounds or so. In fact, China sells the cheapest high-speed train tickets in the world, which means if a Londoner gets on a Chinese high-speed train on Friday after work, it will be very easy to travel to Edinburgh and enjoy the most authentic Scotch whisky there.

2017年，中国高铁“复兴号”在京沪高铁开展了时速350公里的体验运营。如此神速，能够让人在不到两小时内从伦敦去到爱丁堡，而票价却只要20多英镑。是的，中国高铁票价是全世界最便宜的。所以，如果是乘坐中国高铁，一个伦敦人周五下班去爱丁堡喝一杯最地道的苏格兰威士忌，会是一件很容易的事。

"High-speed rail changes life." That is why China keeps building it. Since high-speed rail debuted in China with the Beijing-to-Tianjin link in 2008, China has built four east-west high-speed lines across the country and four north-south routes.

“高铁改变生活”，这就是中国不断建造高铁的原因。自2008年中国第一条高铁线路“京津城际高铁”开通运营以来，中国在八年内开创了“四纵四横”的局面。

Along with its extensive high-speed rail networks, China has been transformed into a vast, economically-connected transportation network. Departing from Beijing in the morning, you can go to Shanghai to have a meeting and arrive in Hangzhou in the afternoon to enjoy beautiful scenery and eat local delicious sweet and sour fish near West Lake. At night, you can return to Beijing at 10pm, right on time. It is easy to shuttle between three cities in just one day.

伴随着高铁的建造，中国也已经成功打造了一日经济圈。早晨从北京出发，中午去上海开个公司会，下午再去杭州感受一下西湖美景吃个西湖醋鱼，晚上妥妥地十点准时回到北京，一天三个城市穿梭很轻松。

Nowadays, there are many young people choosing to live a twins life -- living in a quiet city while working in a bustling city. The transportation time is only an hour while the cost is as low as 16 US dollars.

如今，中国很多年轻人都会选择双城生活，在安静的城市居住在繁华的城市上班。双城交通时间只需1小时，来回花费不过16美元。

Different from other countries, high-speed rail construction in China receives government subsidies and support. It has also been constantly upgraded in the past five years. As high-speed rail increases the flow of economic and trade exchanges, it also facilitates the mobility of population and enterprises, allowing smaller cities to develop alongside major metropolises.

与其他国家不同，中国高铁由政府出资建设，并在五年来不断升级高铁“超能力”。高铁也让经济贸易的交流多了起来，人口和企业都能快速流动，大城市的经济更好地带动周边小城市的发展。

As you know that in comparison to other forms of transportation, high-speed rail means reductions in noise, pollution, and energy consumption. Therefore, China can protect the environment with its best efforts, while still pursuing fast economic development. There are so many benefits about high-speed rail, no wonder that China has never stopped with its upgrades.

你知道吗？相较于其他交通方式，高铁是污染最低的。在发展经济的基础上还能最大程度地保护生态环境。这么多好处，怪不得中国对高铁“超能力”的提升一直没停过。

In the past five years, under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China is no longer satisfied with just having high-speed rail and its national system. The country continues to strive for a faster, safer and cheaper high-speed train.

近五年，在中国当代领导人习近平的带领下，中国已不仅仅满足于“有高铁”和“全国通车”，而是在不断追求更快、更安全和更便宜。

On August 30, 2017, China announced the development of "flying train" capable of traveling at up to 4,000km/h, which will achieve "low-altitude flight" and float. If the train is launched, with its speed 5 times faster than an existing civilian aircraft, it could transform the world's travel mode.

2017年8月，中国宣布将研制最高时速达4000公里的高速飞行列车，真正实现超声速“近地飞行”。这个比现有的民航飞机快5倍的飞速列车一旦建成，预计将改变整个世界的出行方式。

Just imagine the picture: you close your eyes as soon as you get on the train. After taking a quick nap and waking up, congrats: Welcome to China!

想像一下，上了列车， 闭上眼睛，睡个好觉。当你醒来，欢迎来到中国！