Longest High-Speed Railway Opens in China

The longest high-speed rail line opened in China earlier this week. It is 2,298 kilometers (about 1,428 miles) long, bisecting the country between the capital Beijing in the north and the southern city of Guangzhou. Trains on the  high-speed line will initially run at 300 kph (186 mph), with a total travel time of about eight hours.  This is a huge reduction from the previous 20 hours it takes on the still-operational old-fashioned track between Beijing and Guangzhou. The project signals that China hasn't given up on its rail ambitions despite major setbacks, such as last year's deadly train crash near the city of Wenzhou. The new line will help China reach its goal of having 18,000 kilometers of high-speed railway by 2015. Ticket prices on the new line start at about $139

Tibet Building World's Highest Altitude Airport

Tibet will start construction on the world's highest-altitude airport next year. The airport will be built at an altitude of 4,436 meters above sea level.

It is going to be in Nagqu prefecture, and will be 102 meters higher than Bamda Airport in Tibet's Qamdo prefecture, which is currently the worlds’ highest. The airport will cover an area of up to 267 hectares. The airport is expected to cost $285 million with a three-year construction period.

Regional aviation authorities will add more flights next year to connect major cities in Tibet and also link the plateau region with other major cities nationwide.

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World's Longest Bridge Opens in China

China has opened the world's longest cross-sea bridge, which stretches five miles further than the distance between Dover and Calais.

The Jiaozhou Bay bridge is 26.4 miles long and 110 ft wide, and links China's eastern port city of Qingdao to the offshore island Huangdao. Chinese TV reports said the bridge passed construction appraisals on Monday and it, along with an undersea tunnel, would be opened for traffic today.

It took four years to build the massive bridge, which is supported by more than 5,000 pillars across the bay. It is almost three miles longer than the previous record-holder; the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. At a cost of 1 billion pounds, two separate groups of workers have been building it from different ends of the structure since 2006.

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Beijing Making Locals Speak English

The Chinese government has stated that it wants most residents living in Beijing to be able to speak English as it wants to convert the city into a "World City."

The government program was first launched in 2002 in preparation for the Beijing Olympics and has been recently renewed. All kindergartens in the city are to introduce English courses within the next five years. A minimum of at least 60 percent of shop assistants, receptionists and hairdressers under 40 years old will also be required to pass English tests by 2015, as will 80 percent of police officers, the report said.

Every civil servant under the age of 40 with a Bachelor's degree will also be required to master a minimum of 1000 English sentences. The program aims to bring "greater convenience to foreigners working or studying in the capital and enhance international relations and cooperation."

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Club Med Opens First Village in China

Club Med is opening a ski village within the Sun Mountain Yabuli Resort in China's north eastern province of Heilongjiang.

The resort is owned by Melco China Resorts and consists of two hotels, one has 133 rooms, and the other 155 rooms. It will be marketed as the Club Med Yabuli Resort. Club Med has signed a ten-year renewable contract to operate the two hotels. Club Med will invest approximately $3 million to bring the hotels up to its brand standards.

During the summer, the Sun Mountain Yabuli Resort offers hiking, tennis, luxury camping, horse riding and mountain biking.

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