The high-speed rail line from Beijing and Shanghai will do far more than just offer travellers a smooth and rapid journey between the mainland's political and economic centres.
The 300 km/h service is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the development of a string of second- and third-tier cities along the route.
From Langfang in Hebei - in the middle of the Beijing-Tianjin conurbation corridor - through Qufu in Shandong to Dingyuan county outside Nanjing , a chain of cities large and small suddenly find themselves within a few hours of the two mega-cities.
Along the 1,318- kilometre route between the two cities, there are 22 stations in four provinces and three municipalities.
Danny Ma, senior director of market research with property firm CB Richard Ellis, said the arrival of high-speed links to the cities would have a more profound impact than the rise of domestic air travel.
'It is very difficult to compare the impact of high-speed rail to aircraft,' he said.
'The costs involved are less for high-speed trains, so it is accessible to a wider group of passengers.