NPC deputy brings people's long-held dream of a railway in SW China's Guizhou to 'two sessions'

Over the past 10 months, Zhang Youhui, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, has been conducting field research across towns, townships and industrial parks in Dejiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Zhang Youhui, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, conducts field research in Dejiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Zhou Xiaobo)

Many locals have told Zhang that Dejiang has everything except a railway. Zhang serves as a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Dejiang County Committee and the county's deputy head.

Situated in the heart of northeast Guizhou and slated to become a provincial transportation hub, Dejiang has been blossoming into a dynamic area in recent years. However, the absence of a railway has remained a major barrier to the development of northeast Guizhou, a region home to more than 5 million people.

Zhang Youhui, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, conducts research. (Photo/Feng Shengyan)

Addressing this weakness is the key to development, a consensus Zhang reached with local officials and residents after numerous meetings. During this year's "two sessions," the annual meetings of the NPC and China's top political advisory body, Zhang submitted a proposal to advance construction of the Zhaotong-Qianjiang railway.

The Zhaotong-Qianjiang railway is included in China's Medium- and Long-Term Railway Network Plan (2016-2030). Spanning 695 kilometers, the line is expected to benefit more than 10 million residents once completed.

Zhang Youhui, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, conducts research. (Photo/Feng Shengyan)

Zhang brought her research findings, along with the voices of farmers and workers, to the deliberations. She called for coordinated efforts by delegations from Yunnan, Guizhou and Hubei provinces, as well as Chongqing Municipality, to push for the project's inclusion in the 15th Five-Year Plan and an early start to construction.

Zhang said the project is not only a railway, but also a corridor for specialty agricultural products to reach markets beyond the mountains, for tourists to explore the region's interior, for industries to be drawn to the area, and for urbanization to advance.

She also expressed hope that more targeted support could be provided to regional centers, such as Dejiang, through stronger policy backing and increased project and investment funding, further improving spatial planning and strengthening infrastructure, public services, and specialty industries.

Zhang Youhui, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, conducts research at a factory. (Photo/Zhou Xiaobo)

Zhang Youhui, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, conducts research. (Photo/Zhou Xiaobo)