The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

ly intriguing, 24 arduous hours of cramped travel amidst chain-smoking Chinese makes one yearn for fresh air and a simple bed. The rail line connecting Kowloon to Guangzhou (originally known as Canton) was begun by the British in 1906 and completed in 1911. The spectacular mountainous terrain of Hong Kong’s New Territories forced Italian engi- neers to bore over a mile of tunnels along its 22-mile course to the border at Shenzen. The remaining 89 miles of track to Guangzhou were a special chal- lenge because of the need to avoid numerous burial grounds and to bridge several broad rivers draining into the Pearl River. The wide, flood-prone rivers are filled with sampans and rice barges, while well-tended gardens and rice paddies border the rail. The original steel bridges, now a hundred years old, are still in use as they span the broad water barriers. The myriad skyscrapers coupled with the heat and congestion of Guangzhou are much like Bangkok, but the pollution covering the entire Pearl River Delta is far worse. In fact, the smog was so thick on one journey the phrase “Dantean hell” kept entering my mind. After a 30-minute stop to detach the Hong Kong engine and attach a Chinese diesel, the inter- national train lurches out of the sta- tion, ready for its long run to the capital far to the north. Rivers and Mountains The 138-mile section of line from Guangzhou to Shaoguan, much of which follows the picturesque Bei Jiang River (North River) Valley, was completed in 1915. Outside of Guangzhou the farming appears to be mostly private plots, with every available bit of land beautifully J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 61 The smog was so thick on one trip that the phrase “Dantean hell” kept entering my mind. Private plots between Shenzhen and Guangzhou. All photos were taken by the author.