(Source: Vanity Fair, October 13, 2011)
The world’s great powers have long declared themselves through their rail lines — think the 20th Century Limited, the Flying Scotsman, or the Orient Express — and on June 30 the Chinese made their bid for supremacy, with the first official run of a $32 billion high-speed line between Shanghai and Beijing. Faster (820 miles in 288 minutes) and sleeker than any other, the needle-nosed CRH380A symbolizes China’s accelerating pace, even as it faces questions about safety, and taps into an ancient rivalry with Japan.
Full story: Vanity Fair