Chamber 1 - SSR

                            〰〰〰

Supreme Suzhou Rail

                                                                                    

(Voiced guided tour): Welcome to the Metro House, the most inclusive and extensive gallery with a vast collection of photographed metropolitan railway systems with Pulitzer level of quality. 
The far eastern country China has seen a volant development of urban rail transit systems over the last 10 years. Just within the past 5 years, 105 new lines scattered over 39 cities were inaugurated. Suzhou has even a history deeper than that, having cut the first ribbon in 2012, and a prosperous plan consisted of 8 lines plus one suburban railway line is getting embodied. Today, in commemoration of the 
We are now situated in Chamber one. Please press the button after you have reached the starting point indicated by the red dot on the floor map. 


Please look down your feet. That is right. Beneath your feet lies the entire line 3. This shall serve as our treasure map. Find the dot in the upper left corner, and put on your VR goggles. The journey begins as soon as you step on the dot.



#Prologue

A train of line 3 heading for Suzhou Xinqu Railway station.

On the Christmas day of 2019, people in Suzhou had to go to work. Commuters traversed through the packed trains and platforms, not paying the least attention to what was being announced. "Next station, Shizishan. Inter..." 

Our trip starts from Suzhou Xinqu Railway station. 


(001) Suzhou Xinqu Railway station







Xinqu - the New District, the district planned for advanced industrial technologies. Was it stained mosaic that gleam on the ceiling, or the whole universe?

s
To board this train, press the "right" button.

d
Take a seat before the train starts.

s
Looks like you've found your seat. Now wait a few minutes before the departure.


(Announcement) Next station, Xinjinqiao.

(002) Xinjinqiao






(Press the "up" button to get one step closer.)


Upon departure, peeks of the villages in the continuous mountains and winding waters.
(Press the "right" button.)

(003) Shishan Road





The vive Suzhou - idyll and skyscrapers concurring.

a
(Press the "right" button.)

(004) Hengshan


The quintessence of artefacts and craftmanship.

a
(Press the "right" button.)

(005) Panli Road


Line 3, now seen from a different prespective (on the interchange corridor of line 2).
(Press the "right" button.)

(006) Baodai Road



Baodai Bridge (Wikipedia) is the stone arch bridge that made up its name. As if a slim belt straddling the Grand Canal (A metaphor much preferred by Chinese), are the strands of light, hiding inside the ceiling, also world lines that shuttle towards future?


The panorama of the bridge, with a lion guarding the river.
(Press the "right" button.)

(007) Ligongdi West




Allow yourself to lie back and be surrounded by the floating, waving scintilla, trying to see through the other side of the mirage, while thinking: Who will be the one observing us from above?
(Press the "right" button.)

(008) Dongfangzhimen







Behold! The rise of the Oriental star under the arched firmament.
(Press the "right" button.)

(009) Tangzhuang




Spend the whole afternoon under the laminae of shadow, just to watch fish of various colours swim, like what life is meant to be in Suzhou.
(Press the "right" button.)

(010) Suzhou Yuanqu Railway Station



A tunnel boring machine emerging in the wall, and train tickets as its teeth?
(Press the "right" button.)

(011) Weiting


The somewhat mediocre looking eastern terminus of the line will eventually prove itself when the junction with S1 is established.


#Epilogue

(Voiced guide tour): You're now standing in the second section of Chamber 1. Here you can see the masterpieces of dexterous photographers that were presented to us.







# Afterwords
No one wouldn't be pondering about the saying that we sometimes forget that this is a city in the 21st century and has its modern side as well. Most of the metro stations serve rather residential areas than tourist attractions, and fast food restaurants are indeed easier to find than traditional ones in the city. It can't, as an integer, depend solely on tourism as well. No one can refrain the city from developpments no matter how much he wants to preserve the original - be it the pastoral scene of children, tearing about around the weeping willows on the bank of the canal, whilst their parents - one feeding the silkworms with mulberry leaves, the other weaving golden silk threads - converse with each other, occasionally turning to their children, love in their eyes; or the retired merchant, discussing with his architects on how to divert the clearest spring flow into his pond as the mistress prostrates herself in front of the golden statue of Guanyin enshrined in a niche of jade from Xinjiang praying for a son, her right hand enwrapped with a rosary of red coral from the east sea - the never ending legendaries of this city continues to be carried - by its epic peoples...

and by the metro. 




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Special Guided Tour, Act III: In Macau (Linha da Taipa)

【速報】Pudong APM

Suzhou M3