Railways witness the evolution of modern civilization. Today, high speed rail signifies the beginning of a new age of transit. It has dramatically shortened the time to travel, thus changing people's lifestyle.
Zou Yi, a rail photographer, has recorded changes in Chinese railways over the past 30 years, starting in the steam locomotive era.
Zou was born in Shulan city of Northeast China's Jilin province in 1947, and is now a member of the China Photographers Association and vice chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles of the Shenyang Railway Bureau, as well as chairman of the Photographers Association of the Shenyang Railway Bureau.
The following photos are taken by Zou Yi in the last three decades, which are among the series photos celebrating the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.
Train attendants at Jiaohe Railway Station in Northeast China's Jilin province walk single-file to their posts in 1976. Though the working conditions were bad, they strictly abided by the rules. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
A train attendant cleans a carriage on a train that ran from Jiaohe to Xinzhan in Northeast China's Jilin province. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
A couple watches a train pass by on a summer morning in 1976. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
The chairman of the labor union at Jiaohe Railway Station in Northeast China's Jilin province gave water to passengers one summer in the 1980s. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
Passengers line up in a very orderly manner to get on the train during the Spring Festival travel rush in 1980. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
A station monitor stands beside a teleseme in the heavy snow to guide a train due to a poor signal light in 1981. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
Staff members at the Jiaohe Railway Station remove snow on the tracks to ensure the trains run smoothly in 1980. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
The Xinzhan locomotive section was awarded the honorary title of "Model Locomotive Crew" in 1984. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
Two locomotives run neck and neck in the same direction at Tongliao Railway Station in 1994, a situation rarely seen. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
The Qingshui River Bridge along the Nanning-Kunming Railway is seen under construction in 1997. [Photo by Zou Yi/cpanet.org.cn]
