There is near a place called Shidu on the JingYuan line (the “Yuan” actually stands for Yuanping just north of Taiyuan, not Taiyuan itself). Emboldened by an entry for Shidu in a recent Beijing atlas, it seemed like a worthwhile trip but we were not prepared for the amazing scenery along the Juma River ? The road follows the river along what can only be described as a canyon with sheer towering rock walls on each side - not sure whether these are limestone but the scenery looks more like the Dolomites than Guilin. It is another of China’s well kept secrets - “Lonely Planet”deals with it in a couple of inches - but it is obviously developing as a domestic tourist location as there are plenty of tourist type developments including a cable car and a couple of bungee jumping platforms (at Jiudu). The railway seems to follow a route just inside the canyon side, appearing at intervals to cross gullies.
There is an early morning train to Shidu from Beijing Nan, train 7095 but the return does not leave Shidu until 18:57. However, Beijing bus service 917 from Tianqiao , goes all the way to the bottom of Shidu station approach road. There must be other photographic locations on this line and the trains are not too infrequent - I would say an average of one every 45 minutes. Crossings seem to be a regular occurrence at Shidu.
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