Disused rail lines in Beijing becoming increasingly popular
Top: Gao Yuan's children hike along the disused Beijing Mentougou Railway in September 2019. Left: Zhang Tianjia poses in a tunnel along the line. Center: Ren Jing takes a photo of a small house next to the line. Right: A switchman's cabin stands alongside the line. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Numerous outdoor enthusiasts enjoy hiking beside rivers or over mountain ranges, but rarely consider walking along railway lines, which is generally thought to be dangerous.
However, such lines that are no longer in use may make them think again.
For example, the 53-kilometer Beijing Mentougou Railway was abandoned in the early 2000s. The line was established in 1906 by Zhan Tianyou, known as the "Father of China's railway", to transport goods between downtown Beijing and Mentougou district in the west of the city.
In recent decades, more hikers, including those living in urban areas, have become interested in walking along deserted lines like this one to enjoy scenery vastly different from that found elsewhere.
Ren Jing, who was born in the 1980s, is a native of Beijing and works in the media industry, said that in her spare time, she loves to visit places where there are relatively few people.
In November, she hiked along a 10-km section of the Beijing Mentougou Railway, taking a detour to villages because tunnels along the line were destroyed during heavy rainfall in August.
"This is actually the fun of outdoor activities. There is always a road to hike on, but when an unexpected situation such as this (strong rain leaving tunnels impassable) occurs, you can always take a new route," Ren said.
Her interest in hiking was triggered by the novel Grave Robbers' Chronicles, in which author Nanpai Sanshu, whose real name is Xu Lei, describes several fictional places that have counterparts on the Chinese mainland. They include Changbai Mountain in Jilin province, Hero Mountain in Shandong province, and Siguniang Mountain in Sichuan province. Since 2003, Ren has visited each of these locations to check them off her list.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn't go on long trips, but visited scenic areas around Beijing instead," she said, adding that she used to go to western Sichuan every year during the May Day and National Day holidays to climb mountains.
"I enjoy the thrill of hiking at altitude on snow-capped mountains. On the plateau, your breathing becomes faster, which is different from the fatigue you experience on the plains," Ren said.
"As your heart rate accelerates, dopamine is released. You feel excited, unlike the feeling on the plains, which is mainly induced by exhaustion," she added.
Hiking along the Beijing Mentougou Railway, which passes through a series of tunnels, has given her a new experience. "Walking on the path inside a tunnel is also something I would like to try," Ren said.
Railway hiking has provided her with a clearer insight into how sudden changes in the weather have a significant impact on the environment and nature.
"The railway's track bed consists of individual wooden sleepers, but on many sections, the wood has clearly been severely damaged by rainwater," Ren said.
The stone foundations under the tracks have also been affected by water infiltration, she added.
At the end of July, when Typhoon Doksuri headed toward the North China Plain and battered suburban and downtown areas of Beijing, residents in the western districts of Fangshan and Mentougou were the most badly hit.
The heavy rain in the Chinese capital caused by the typhoon lasted for about 92 hours, making it the most severe rainfall recorded by meteorological instruments in the city for the past 140 years, Beijing News reported.
Flash floods and landslides triggered by the rain left at least 33 people dead, rail tracks broken, homes collapsed, and electric cables severed.
The rainfall in Fangshan and Mentougou was nearly double the citywide average, the Beijing Meteorological Service said. Western Beijing, which is home to mountains and rivers, was the hardest-hit area of the city during this extreme weather event.
Ren said, "As the sleepers on the rail tracks were broken, I took a detour of nearly 3 kilometers from a tunnel after already having walked for 8 kilometers."
The new route provided her with fresh findings. On reaching Dingjiatan village, about two-thirds of the way along her hiking trail, Chinese roses were still blooming in the wind in early winter. For Ren, this unexpected sight evoked a special connection between the railway and her surroundings.
She eventually arrived at Jiuyuan station, where she bought some pickles before heading home.
A deserted branch line in Beijing's Fangshan district. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Sense of discovery
Hiking along rail lines in a remote urban area of Beijing offers city residents the chance to discover something new.
Zhang Tianjia, 37, who works as a producer in the advertising industry, said she feels relaxed and happy interacting with nature during hikes — feelings she rarely experiences in her work.
Born in Hulunbuir city, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Zhang has lived in Beijing since 2002.
She feels that living in a large city such as Beijing inevitably results in competition.
"In the city, you view some of the troubles you face as being significant … You cannot escape these things at such times, and you tend to magnify them to the point where they become extremely worrying," she said.
When she took a hike along the railway line on Dec 13, she experienced vastly different feelings.
"When you go to an open and remote place far from the urban area, you start to realize that it has remained unchanged for more than 100 years," Zhang said.
"Whether it's the rail track or the switchman's cabin, you feel that everything around you has a far longer history than yourself, and that it has experienced way more than you have. Suddenly, you realize that your own worries don't seem as huge anymore."
For Zhang, hiking along the abandoned rail line is primarily aimed at embracing nature and reducing her anxiety.
"It doesn't necessarily solve any major problems, but the change in my mindset as a result of being close to nature makes me feel more relaxed," she said.
Zhang, whose parents worked in the railway industry for a long time, said that since childhood she has traveled more by train than by airplane, and has developed a deep-seated affection for railways.
The views she experiences along the line rekindle her early memories of living near the railway.
Disheartening scenes
Railway enthusiast Gao Yuan, 40, said it is disheartening to see lines abandoned and disappearing in Beijing, and he hopes the local government's plan to extend the life of century-old railways will be implemented soon.
From 2019 to 2022, Gao hiked four times along the 53 km of the Beijing Mentougou Railway in all four seasons.
He is interested in exploring stations and other locations along this line.
"My great-grandfather once helped build a section of a narrow-gauge line in Shanxi province, and this is perhaps why I've always been interested in trains from a young age," Gao said.
He added that while he was growing up, the rhythm of trains on railway tracks gave him a sense of security.
"Trains likely have an inherent appeal to people on a psychological level, which also intrigues me," he said.
Gao's exploration of the Beijing Mentougou Railway began at Xihuangcun station, near where he and his family relocated to Beijing from Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, seven years ago.
One day, when Gao discovered the station and recognized that it had a captivating past because of its bygone appearance, he decided to research its history.
Historical records showed that as a branch line of the Beijing Zhangjiakou Railway, the Beijing Mentougou Railway arguably operated a passenger train over the shortest distance in China.
Known as the Xiaopiaoche, or voucher train, the service consisted of a locomotive and a single carriage. It was named Xiaopiaoche, as all tickets had to be purchased onboard from the sole train attendant, who also served as the ticket collector, rather than being bought from the station.
Built initially to transport coal from western Beijing to the city's downtown area, the line's role changed after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.As the carrying of raw coal declined, the voucher train became the primary mode of transportation along the line, operating as a commuter service for coal mine employees and their relatives.
However, in the 21st century, coal mines in suburban areas of the city began to close. As a result, demand for the service fell, leading to it being suspended in 2008.
Gao said the local government has reportedly tried to develop the disused Beijing Mentougou Railway and scenic spots along the line as a well-managed tourist attraction.
"But due to heavy rains and flooding last summer, additional investment is required to restore the line to its original appearance," he said.
"Furthermore, if items along the line are not designated as cultural relics, certain attractions, such as the water tower, battlements, or the old shop in a deserted coal mine, could disappear permanently."
Gao recalled a hike in September 2019 with his two children — one in first grade and the other in third grade — to visit the ancient Hongyuan Store in Wangping town, Mentougou.
"The store's decoration, furnishings and products were particularly distinctive, as they were presented in a style popular in the 1980s," he said, adding that the store triggered nostalgic memories.
Up to the 1990s, Hongyuan Store was the largest shopping destination in western Beijing. However, as coal mines closed, customers rarely visited the business, and it was finally turned into a creative industry park.
Gao is also keen to explore obsolete stations, tunnels and other remains of the past along the deserted rail line.
"If you visit these old buildings when few people are around, the atmosphere is so peaceful," he said.
Located in Beijing's Shijingshan district, Xihuangcun station, the easternmost point of the Beijing Mentougou Railway, still has one freight train passing through it each week, but all other sections of the railway are no longer in operation. During the pandemic, the Yexi section of the line became popular with visitors due to its convenient transportation links.
Gao said, "Due to the rising number of visitors, the gaps between the crossties on the line were filled with gravel and sand, making the hiking trail much easier to walk on."
He hopes that although part of the railway experienced flooding in the summer, the local government will soon repair the line.
"After the repair work and related development are completed, we may no longer be allowed to hike along the railway. However, this is a good thing for the line, which is more than a century old, as at least it will be able to continue operating," Gao said.
