Yizhang Baishidu Station

At the mountainous border where Hunan meets Guangdong, Baishidu Station stands as a monument to China's railway history. Established in 1936 as part of the Yue-Han Railway, this southern gateway began as a modest ninety-square-meter brick structure managing three tracks. Its construction required carving through the region's red Danxia sandstone, a feat directed by the engineer Ling Hongxun. Today, his name remains chiseled into the stone of the Baishidu Tunnel alongside the date marking the twenty-fifth year of the Republic of China.

Human hands have left deep marks on this landscape. In November 1934, during a pause in the Long March, more than one hundred and sixty local railway construction workers laid down their shovels to join the passing Red Army. Decades later, other workers labored to erect three massive stone-arch bridges—the Fengchuikou, Yantang, and Shengjie bridges—which span the Baisha River at heights exceeding fifty meters. Standing on these arches, one can hear the rush of the water below and feel the cool, damp draft rising from the canyon.

For decades, the station hummed with the sounds of steam and diesel. In 1988, a larger, four-track station was built three kilometers southeast of the original site to accommodate the double-track Beijing-Guangzhou Railway. Yet, the heart of Baishidu remained tied to its people. From 2012 until 2022, the station served as the southern terminus for the 8629/8630 commuter train. This free, two-car green-skin train allowed local farmers to transport their agricultural goods to markets in Chenzhou. The carriages smelled of fresh soil, leafy vegetables, and damp wicker baskets, echoing with the metallic rhythm of the wheels on the rails.

The free commuter train made its final run in 2022. Today, the modern station operates strictly for freight, handling coal, gold ore, and chemical supplies. Meanwhile, the abandoned 1936 line has become a quiet path for hikers. The old tracks are gone, replaced by a flat trail where wild grass grows around the soot-stained ruins of the old station. Visitors walking this path move through the same cool tunnels and across the same towering bridges that once carried the weight of a nation's industrial awakening.