A traveler aboard a Chinese bullet train was astounded with the experience.
Kevin Liu (@itskevinliu) shared a TikTok about a trip from Hong Kong to Chaozhou, noting the roughly 225-mile journey took just 2 hours, 30 minutes, even with about 10 stops. He compared it to a 190-mile trek from Dallas to Austin, Texas, that takes about three hours by car.
@itskevinliu imagine taking a nap and waking up on the other side of the country 🥲 #china #bullettrain #maglev #chaozhou #hongkong #shanghai #asiatravel #chinatravel #publictransportation #chinainfrastructure #mainlandchina #chinabullettrain #itskevinliu ♬ original sound - Kevin Liu
"Imagine taking a nap and waking up on the other side of the country," he wrote.
The train traveled at 300 kilometers per hour, or 186 miles per hour. Liu on his visit to China also rode the Shanghai maglev, which is even faster.
"Coming from the States where we don't have anything like this, this is super cool," Liu said. "Check out the scenery."
His favorite part of the trip to Chaozhou was the sights.
"This is a very comfortable ride," he added. "This feels like I'm taking the subway with the amenities of an airplane flight."
The United States is far behind China and other countries that have invested in high-speed rail, and despite movement toward such projects in California and Florida, $70 billion in federal funding is still going toward highway expansion. That won't solve traffic problems, and it will contribute further to the overheating of the planet.
Train travel emits 66% and 80% less carbon pollution into the atmosphere than car and plane travel, and it's safe and cheap too.
"This is just such a great option for travel," Liu said. "It's quick, reliable, fast, and accessible. And this whole train ride only cost about $25."
Of course, there are differences between the two countries.
"These USA will never have nationalized public transportation [because] US eminent domain laws aren't the same as requisition laws in China," one commenter wrote.
But if American government officials can think outside the box and expand methods of transportation that don't displace people and destroy communities, the quality of life will go up for millions of people.
"Infrastructures [are] built to serve the people," another TikToker said.
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