Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, May 10

Abigail Weathers | May 10, 2025 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 193 reads

Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.

Subway Line 11 Extension Announced

On May 1, the Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co. Ltd. published the “Integrated Route Plan for Beijing Rail Line 11 Phase II" on its official website. The second phase of Line 11, a mostly east-west line in the city’s south, extends eastward from the first phase, passing through Shijingshan, Fengtai, Haidian and Xicheng districts. The second phase of Line 11 consists of 14 stations, all underground, with five transfer stations at Tiyuchang Nanjie, Yamenkou Dong, Lianhuaqiao, Beijing West Station, and Lize Business District.

New High-Speed Rail Development Slashes Travel Times

In other transportation news, over the May holiday in Tonghua, Jilin, workers finished laying the final pieces of track in the Shenyang-Baihe section of the Shenyang-Jiamusi High-Speed Railway. The Shenyang-Changbaishan section, which stretches almost 430km and connects Shenyang with Changbaishan, is scheduled to enter the static testing phase in mid-May, with a projected opening of Sep 30 of this year.

The Shenyang-Changbaishan section is the beginning section of four that make up the Shenyang-Jiamusi High-Speed Railway. The second and fourth sections (Changbaishan-Dunhua and Mudanjiang-Jiamusi, respectively) are already in operation, and the third section (Dunhua-Mudanjiang) is in the planning stage. The railway is designed to accommodate a top train speed of around 350km per hour.

Why does this matter for Beijingers? Currently, it takes anywhere from around six hours and 15 minutes to seven and a half hours to travel by train between Beijing and Changbaishan. After the opening of the Shenyang-Changbaishan high-speed rail section later this year, that time will be cut down to just four hours.

It’s also important in the larger context of China’s railway infrastructure development boom. Originally, the “Four Vertical and Four Horizontal” plan aimed to establish a grid of high-speed rail corridors – four running north to south and four crossing those running east to west – connecting a number of Chinese cities. When these rail lines were completed ahead of schedule, the project was expanded to an “Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal” plan. It was projected that by 2025, more than 95 percent of Chinese cities with a population greater than 500,000 would be connected by high-speed rail. If everything stays on schedule, the “Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal” high-speed rail corridor network will be completed by 2030.

Robot Conference and Games Coming in August

On Wed, May 7, the Information Office of Beijing Municipality announced that Beijing will host the 2025 World Robot Conference (WRC) from Aug 8 to 12. The WRC has been held in Beijing since 2015. This year, the WRC will take place at the Beiren Yichuang International Convention and Exhibition Center in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone and will be hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the World Robot Cooperation Organization.

Several hundred international and domestic entities, including more than 200 companies, are expected to participate in the conference, and a number of new products and technologies will be revealed. There will be a number of activities during the conference, including industry forums, competitions and exhibition displays. Organizers hope the conference will help boost global cooperation, fuel scientific, technological and industrial innovation, serve as an "incubator" for the discovery and training of industry professionals, and inspire young and future talents in the realm of robotics technology and innovation.

It was also announced that Beijing will host the first World Humanoid Robot Games from Aug 15 to 17. Humanoid robots will be tested in various sports activities and industry-valuable tasks. There will be an entertainment element as well, with robots engaging in crowd-pleasing activities like badminton and basketball.