On July 31, an activity was held in Fenghuang County to celebrate the completion of the supporting cultural tourism project for Fenghuang Maglev Express and the first anniversary of the safe operation of Fenghuang Maglev Express. Since its official operation on July 30, 2022, the Fenghuang Maglev Express has become a highlight of Fenghuang’s tourism with a unique experience of “maglev train plus cultural tourism.”
With the full recovery of the tourism industry this year, the cultural and technological connotations of Fenghuang Maglev Express will be further explored, and its hardware facilities will be improved. Diverse activities will be launched to create a new “business card” for Fenghuang’s tourism.
The Fenghuang Maglev Express was jointly invested and constructed by Hunan Maglev Group Corporation Limited and Fenghuang Zhanfeng Investment Co., Ltd. The total length of the line is 9.12 kilometers, with four stations of Fenghuang Ancient Town, Fenghuang Yingbin, Fenghuang Lansheng, and Fenghuang Dengdai. It mainly connects Fenghuang Ancient Town High-speed Railway Station with the core scenic area of Fenghuang Ancient Town.
The line officially started operating on July 30 last year and is the fourth maglev line opened and operated in China. It pioneered the “maglev plus culture plus tourism” model in the country, offering a unique experience of maglev sightseeing.
Among the four stations along the line, Fenghuang Lansheng is the most popular among tourists as it directly connects to the core scenic area of the ancient town and provides the best bird’s-eye view of the Tuojiang River and the ancient town.
Yi Jun, deputy general manager of Fenghuang Maglev Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. explained, “Fenghuang Maglev Express connects the high-speed rail stations, the tourist center, and the core scenic area, and complements tourist buses and pedicabs, providing convenient transport for tourists. At the same time, we take advantage of cultural and technology resources to turn the express line and stations into scenic spots, and enhance the tourists’ overall experience.”
Since the safe operation of the Fenghuang Maglev Express for one year, a total of 817,000 passengers have been transported.
A study tour demonstration base and a 3A-level tourist attraction
The Fenghuang Maglev Express is over 9 kilometers long. The entire journey takes about 30 minutes and will not exceed 2 hours when you do sightseeing. Throughout the journey, the experience is comfortable, and the scenery is picturesque.
At the Fenghuang Lansheng station, a maglev science education base is under construction. Besides showcasing maglev technology, the base will also feature experiential projects like Faraday cages, simulated maglev driving, and time-space travel. In the future, similar educational bases will be established at all four stations.
On the evening of July 31, Fenghuang Jixiang, a supporting cultural tourism project of Fenghuang Maglev Express, was announced to be completed. Located next to the Fenghuang Dengdai station, the project covers a construction area of over 20,000 square meters and includes leisure and commercial spaces, a hotel, and a theater.
The project serves as Fenghuang’s first cultural and tourism commercial complex integrating catering, accommodation, leisure and entertainment. In the future, the classic stories of “Border Town” and Chen Quzhen will be staged here.
The operating company will actively strive to build a study tour demonstration base and a 3A tourist attraction, and turn the Fenghuang Maglev into a comprehensive tourism product that combines “maglev transport plus cultural performances plus leisure tourism plus science education”, making it a well-known brand in Fenghuang’s tourism.