Driving BEIJING-X3 along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway to explore Chongli Winter Olympics travel notes

The opening of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway 110 years ago marked the beginning of the Chinese people building their own railways. Today, 110 years later, the old Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway welcomes its sister line, a railway connecting China and the world, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway not only witnesses the 110 years of development of China's railways, but also records the strength of China's comprehensive national strength. Zhangjiakou and Chongli, which it connects, will also welcome guests from around the world to host the Winter Olympics in two years' time.

This time we drove BEIJING-X3, all the way from the starting point of Beijing North Railway Station, along the places where the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway passed, visiting the footsteps of great powers and important weapons, and recording the scenery along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway and the rapid development of the motherland.

Speaking of Beijing North Railway Station, it is true that its "famous" was not as well-known as Beijing Railway Station, South Railway Station, and West Railway Station in the past few years, but it actually has a history of 115 years. Beijing North Railway Station was built in the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1905), formerly known as Xizhimen Station. It is an important station on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, the first trunk line railway designed and built independently in China. In 1988, it was officially renamed Beijing North Railway Station. In 2007, the new station building of Beijing North Railway Station officially started construction. On January 16, 2009, Beijing North Railway Station was officially opened for operation.

Today’s Beijing North Railway Station connects Metro Line 4 and Line 13, and has also become the departure station of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway. From the starting station of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway, it only takes 50 minutes to reach Chongli. When the Beijing Winter Olympics opens in 2022, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway will play a very important transportation role.

And I drove BEIJING-X3 to follow the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway all the way north to the Zhangjiakou main venue of the future Winter Olympics. In addition to the high-speed rail, it is also very convenient to drive to Chongli. The route starts from Beijing by taking the G6 Beijing-Tibet Expressway, and when approaching Zhangjiakou city, take the east line of the Capital Ring Expressway. The whole journey only takes 4 hours. Of course, this is if there is no traffic jam on the winding mountain road in the Yanshan Mountains section of the Beijing-Tibet Expressway.

The special thing about the Beijing-Tibet Expressway is that it is built against the Yanshan Mountains and is winding. It is difficult to imagine how difficult the construction of this expressway must have been. The one-way, two-lane road and the uphill slope make it even more difficult to get on this highway, and the perennial presence of large trucks traveling on this highway with "heavy loads" also makes this highway narrow and congested. Wanting to find a gap between them to overtake is not only a test of driving skills and courage, but also places high demands on the car.

Although the BEIJING-X3 that accompanies me all the way is positioned as a small SUV, it is equipped with a 1.5T strong heart. This all-aluminum turbocharged engine has a maximum power of 150 horsepower and a peak torque of 210Nm. With the 1.3-ton BEIJING-X3 and the 0.12-ton truck, I can easily maneuver among the large trucks. Equipped with a small-inertia turbocharger, it effectively reduces turbo lag. It is quite common to imagine that turbocharged engines have turbo lag, because a large amount of exhaust gas is needed to push the turbine, and there will be a certain lag in power when the accelerator is pressed. The advantage of using a small inertia turbine is that even the exhaust gas under low operating conditions is enough to start the turbine, and the power response is more timely when the accelerator is depressed.

If the sky is usually clear, you only need to find a gap in the large truck to break out of the encirclement. Unfortunately, heavy snow suddenly fell in Beijing, Hebei and other places yesterday, which also caused problems for my trip today. It was lucky that the expressway was not closed, otherwise we would have been stuck if we took the national highway. Unfortunately, there is still snow on the highway. Except for the outer lane where large trucks often travel, the snow on the inner lane has not yet melted.

The winding mountain highway + rainy and snowy road + original tires + two-wheel drive, and the two wheels began to wear away my confidence little by little. There is a guardrail on the left and a long line of large trucks on the right. Once the car body slips sideways, the consequences will be disastrous. I opened the front window a crack and let the cool breeze flow into the car to keep me awake. The front seat heating function, which is rare in its class, ensures that I can always feel warm.

Hold the steering wheel with both hands like wooden figures 1, 2, and 3. Do not dare to let any excess float in your hands. My eyes were fixed on the road ahead, not daring to relax, but I always felt something flickering on the dashboard in my peripheral vision. It turns out that the ninth-generation ESP body stabilization system from Bosch has been silently providing me with safety protection behind the scenes. On the BEIJING-X3, this system is standard for the entire series, protecting every car owner. When I see the accident ahead, I am even more grateful for the safety and security provided by my partners today.

I don’t know how long it took, but I was almost numb and “wake up” by a strange and friendly female voice that suddenly appeared in the car. It feels like an oasis suddenly appears in front of you, and everything is awakened by this sudden sweet sound. "You have been driving for 3 hours. Let's take a rest." "Okay, thank you." Maybe I was really tired, so I replied "Thank you" to the BEIJING-X3's in-vehicle intelligent voice without thinking.

The addition of intelligent voice not only makes in-car operations easier, but also makes it possible to have fun on boring roads. For example, in an uninhabited place where you can see rolling mountains all around, ask her what food is available nearby, tell her a joke, or choose a style of music, etc.

The voice interaction design of BEIJING-X3 is very clever. The voice simulation is probably that of a little girl about 10 years old, with a soft tone. Unlike some voice settings that are as serious as a stern aunt.

It took about 4 hours to reach Zhangjiakou with stops and starts without any danger. Since we are walking along the route of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway, let’s stop by the Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway Station.

On December 30, 2019, the new Zhangjiakou Station has just been officially put into use. When I checked in, I did find that the surrounding infrastructure has not yet been completed, and road planning and underground passages are still under construction. Taking advantage of the lunch break of the assistant police and the assistant police, I quickly took a photo of BEIJING-X3 with the new Zhangjiakou Station and the bright sun.

After leaving New Zhangjiakou Station, I asked the smart voice to help me recommend a route with the shortest distance to Chongli. The general route is from Zhangjiakou City → 310 Provincial Road → 410 County Road → Chongli. From the map, there are almost no detours on this route, but I guessed that the winding route back to the point is also a mountain road.

The road condition of 310 Provincial Road is very good. There is no snow on the road. It should be that the sanitation workers have cleaned it early in the morning. But County Road 410 does not have such a good treatment. It is completely dependent on a few ruts made by passing vehicles, and the rest is still thickly covered with snow. The road is built along the mountains and from time to time passes through small villages with less than a hundred households. Judging from this only main road, it seems that few people went out in each village today. The snow was thick enough to almost reach the ankles, and the speed of the car at this time was almost maintained at less than 30km/h.

ESP is still flashing, and the car is still moving forward slowly. Three cars came towards me from the opposite direction, all with Beijing license plates. In the third car, the driver opened the window and waved to me. At first I thought it was a polite hello. After walking for nearly half an hour, I came across another MPV with a Beijing logo, and the owner of the car also waved to me. Then I lowered the window and prepared to respond politely to the next car owner who waved again. Soon, a pickup truck with a local license plate came in the opposite direction, and I was ready to wave. But why are they smiling at me while sitting in the car? Their smile is not a welcoming smile, nor is it a happy smile. The combination of the contraction of facial muscles and the shaking of the head is greater than or equal to ridicule.

I closed the window, decided not to respond to the oncoming traffic in front, and focused more on the road. When driving on an ice-covered road, you should neither stall nor go too fast, and you should look further ahead and make corresponding predictions. Sure enough, my worries still appeared. There is a sharp left turn + uphill ahead. There are several cars parked next to it, and the drivers are standing outside. Coincidentally, I became one of them in the middle of the slope.

After making sure that the vehicle would not slide, I got out of the car and walked a few steps forward before discovering the cause. First, the slope is very steep and has sharp curves. Second, there are very few vehicles passing by and the snow is thick and soft. And judging from the road signs, there is a continuous steep slope ahead. Looking at this road sign and the encounter at this time, it was like rewinding the wave and ridicule of those people just like the reasoning in a Sherlock Holmes movie, and then I understood the good intentions of the first two people and the "watching" of the last person.

All my fearless efforts was a waste of time. The road conditions were such that some four-wheel-drive SUV owners nearby were drinking tea and chatting, so I no longer attempted the challenge. Slowly back the car to level ground, turn around, and find the way back to Zhangjiakou. Returning to Provincial Highway 310, I discovered that there was a built highway that could reach Chongli.

After getting off the eastern section of the Capital Expressway, we arrived at Chongli, but the road to Taiwu Town or the main venue of the Zhangjiakou East Olympics has not yet been paved. I think this is not an infrastructure problem, but because the venues are currently under construction and there are many heavy trucks and construction vehicles coming and going every day, so we simply don’t pave the asphalt roads for the time being. So the road surface looks like tightly packed soil mixed with snow and water, with mud, pits and gravel. However, the passability of BEIJING-X3 is so easy.

This kind of journey takes about 20 minutes, which is also a big challenge to the rigidity of the body and the manufacturing process. The continuous bumps and shaking did not make BEIJING-X3 make any abnormal noise. Driving under such road conditions, it is completely understandable that there will be occasional abnormal noises, but the performance of BEIJING-X3 really exceeded my expectations.

The suspension adopts a combination of front MacPherson and rear torsion beam suspension. The overall tuning style is the same as its Slogan, focusing on youthful vitality. When driving at high speed in the mountains, the suppression of body roll is sufficient. At the same time, it can also effectively filter out some vibrations when driving on continuously bumpy roads at this time.

Further ahead, the signs on the roadside appear more frequently. I think this is probably the location of the main venue of the 2022 Tokyo Olympics. The first thing I saw was the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway Chongli Station-Taizicheng Station. At present, the station has been put into use, but the surrounding area is still under construction. It is impossible to fully see the station from the road. We can only get a rough feel from the online pictures.

Aerial view of Taizicheng High-speed Railway Station

Planning renderings of Taizicheng High-speed Railway Station

Current status entrance of Taizicheng High-speed Railway Station

Currently, there are buses at Taizicheng Station to pick up and drop off passengers according to the opening and closing times of Taiwu Ski Resort.

In other words, the train from Beijing North Railway Station to Taiwu Ski Resort (the future venue for the East Olympic Games) has been completely connected. For skiers, the entire journey only takes 90 minutes. From Beijing Xizhimen to Chongli Taiwu Ski Resort field.

At this time, a large area of ??construction work can be seen not far away. Although it is still in the steel frame structure stage, there is no need to worry about the progress of the project given the current construction speed of the "infrastructure maniac" in the motherland. In addition to multiple venues in Beijing and Yanqing, there are 8 venues in the Zhangjiakou competition area, of which 2 are existing venues, 4 are new venues, and 2 are temporary venues.

Judging from the planning map, the steel structure projects photographed here are the future Zhangjiakou Olympic Village. In the future, it will be able to accommodate nearly 3,000 people and a new Olympic Village will be built. On the occasion of the Winter Olympics, Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials from various countries will provide accommodation, catering, entertainment, leisure, etc.

Site A

At the end of the road is Chongli Taiwu Ski Resort, which will become the Yunding Ski Park venue during the 2022 Winter Olympics. It is divided into venue A & venue B. The competition events included in venue A will include freestyle skiing & snowboarding (obstacle pursuit, slopestyle skills, U-shaped field skills, single board parallel slalom, parallel giant slalom).

Site B

Site B includes freestyle skiing & snowboarding (air skills, snow skills).

When we arrived at Taiwu Ski Resort, it was already approaching the closing time of the ski resort. The sky is getting dark, and the sun-red body color of BEIJING-X3 looks particularly bright against the white snowy roads. Combined with the suspended roof, it creates a master-class appearance that suits the preferences of young people. The only LED headlight in its class that is standard on all models shines like a bright star in the snow-capped mountains.

In sharp contrast to the ski resort is the neon-lit Taiwu Town at night, which is not only close to the ski resort but also includes many well-known hotels and youth hostels. Even if you go now, you can stay in a luxury hotel for 1,500/night, and the surrounding facilities include Korean food, Japanese food, Sichuan hot pot, a small theater, etc. There are also various ski shops, clubs, hospitals, etc. in the surrounding area. It can be said that from the current point of view, Taiwu Ski Resort already has complete entertainment, catering and accommodation conditions.

I checked in at the Taiwu Ski Resort, the end point of this travelogue, and was able to explore the secrets and feel the atmosphere of the 2022 Winter Olympics with BEIJING-X3. Although most of the venues have not yet taken on their final form, I feel a sense of respect as I look at the construction workers who are still working hard in the freezing weather. The rapid development of the motherland is inseparable from the hard work of people from all walks of life. The Spring Festival is approaching, and it is also the only day of the year for many people who work outside to reunite with their families. Faced with the difficulty of getting a ticket every year, BEIJING?| BAIC Motor & BAIC New Energy join hands with Railway 12306, China Railway and China Travel to launch the "Warm Way Home" charity charity project activity.

This event is more of a tribute to the builders of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway. On January 17, 2020, the day of the Lunar New Year, a Beijing-Wuhan special train (a total of 1,000 second-class high-speed rail seats) applied for by BEIJING? Cars will depart from Beijing West Railway Station and pass through Zhuozhou East and Gaobei Diandong, Baoding East, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou East, and ends at Wuhan Station. At the same time, BEIJING? cars will also provide full-service warm-hearted services such as pick-up and drop-off, providing all-round warmth for Beijing-Zhangjiakou builders on their way back home.

Starting from New Year’s Day 2020, we can participate in the “One Heart for One Meter” interactive activity through the “Warm Way Home” H5, and support the opening of the special train home for the builders of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway by giving likes and showing love. For every additional love, the builders will be 1 meter closer to their homes. When the number reaches 1,225,000 and the kilometers reach 1,225 kilometers, the special train will be opened as scheduled to take the builders home.

I guess most of the builders of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway have not yet heard of this good news. I guess they have also forgotten how much sweat they have shed and how many thousands of steps they have walked on these rails this year. . But what is certain is that when the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway opens, they will be proud of themselves and their motherland.

Following the footsteps of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway, we also successfully completed the check-in for the 2020 East Olympics venue. Finally, I would also like to thank my partner who is with me today, BEIJING-X3. Although it is positioned as a small SUV, it does allow me, who is over 1.9 meters tall, to find a comfortable driving position. In total, the nearly 11 hours and 700 kilometers of journey brought me to every destination safely and comfortably. In addition to the recognition of the three major items, we also have to praise the current strict quality control. With a price range of RMB 49,900-95,900, it’s hard to imagine how BEIJING managed to keep the price of the X3 so low. It also includes standard LED headlights, an 8-inch central control screen, tire pressure alarm, ESP, and mobile phone mapping for all models. , car navigation and so on.

A good product will naturally not be buried by the market. It is not difficult to see from the report card of BAIC Group in 2019. In 2019, BAIC Group produced and sold 2.26 million vehicles, ranking fourth in the industry. Achieved revenue of 501.23 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.26%, becoming the first state-owned enterprise in Beijing with annual revenue exceeding 500 billion yuan.

With such impressive results, I believe that BAIC will continue to forge ahead in 2020 and make greater contributions to the realization of the "dream of becoming a powerful automobile nation."

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.