Goodbye to smelly old buses, carsickness and traffic jams; hello to modern trains. The new Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity railway has cut travel times in the Pearl River Delta by connecting cities along the route.
Since the 150-kilometre rail link opened on Friday, a journey that used to take one to 2 1/2 hours - depending on the city - now takes 20 to 40 minutes, and fares have been halved.
Travellers can sit back and relax on the ride from Guangzhou to Zhongshan , Zhuhai or Jiangmen . The brand new compartment offers quite a bit of comfort: consistent air-conditioning, soft-cushioned seats with plenty of leg room and attendants welcoming passengers with big smiles.
Three minutes after the train departs from Guangzhou South Railway Station, it is already running at 159km/h. With the temperature at 12 degrees Celsius outdoors, indoors it is 21 degrees. After another three minutes, the train is running at a steady speed of 197-201km/h on the track, built next to highways.
As the train glides along, the scenes outside play like a documentary demonstrating the rapid pace of urbanisation in the region. Passengers see the tangerine groves in Guangzhou's Panyu district, the car and garment factories in Xiaolan district of Zhongshan and the new residential buildings and high-rises in the city centre, all in just 20 minutes.
Zhuhai is only another 20 minutes away - barely enough time to get your seat warm.
Zhang Dongrong , 17, who has just completed his university entrance examination in Guangzhou, rode the train home excitedly, eager to see his parents again after months away. 'I'm so excited,' he said. 'In the past few months, I've grown so much as a man, but it seems the Pearl River Delta has also advanced with the new train service.'