Train fan takes the online route
BEIJING — David Feng is not a train worker nor a frequent business traveler. However, in the first five months of 2018, he made 166 train journeys, traveling 53,000 kilometers across China.
The Chinese-Swiss train aficionado has become an online celebrity for his livestreaming of Chinese railway lines, stations and trains of various kinds.
Over the past decade, Feng has visited over 2,300 Chinese railway stations out of the more than 3,000 spread across the country. And he is now making a documentary called Next Station: China, where he plans to capture more than 2,200 stations around the country.
So far, he has filmed more than 300 stations.
Feng, who was born in 1982 and grew up in Switzerland, completed his undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees in broadcasting and communications in China, and is now an associate professor at the Communication University of China.
His interest in China’s railway system began 10 years ago when he first took the Beijing-Tianjin intercity train, China’s first highspeed railway line inaugurated on Aug 1, 2008.
The train’s top speed of over 300 km per hour surprised him, as it was 50 percent faster than the trains he took in Germany.
“It was like stepping into the 22nd century,” he recalls.
Since then, Feng has taken numerous trains in China and posted what he saw and thought on websites.
“China’s railway system is advanced, and there is nothing wrong with bragging about it,” he says.
China had 25,000 km of high-speed railway lines by the end of 2017, accounting for 66 percent of the world’s total.
So far, Feng has livestreamed in English to netizens all around the world, on topics ranging from the opening ceremonies of new high-speed railway lines to the Spring Festival travel rush, the world’s largest seasonal migration.
His broadcasts have drawn the attention of netizens from Asia, Europe and the United States.
“An Indian netizen said the new high-speed railway stations in China are like airports,
calling them ‘railports’,” Feng says.
He also likes correcting the English translations at stations.
“Chinese high-speed railways use the best trains, so naturally, they should use correct English too,” he says.
He once saw a ticket machine with a sign that said “buffet ticket office”, and a ticket counter called “artificial ticket office”.
So, Feng decided to start a column called “Railway English” on his Sina Weibo microblog to bring attention to the incorrect translations. And it was not long before a railway bureau noticed his microblog and invited him to give a lecture.
He is now a regular visitor to several bureaus for English instruction. His book, 1,000 Sentences
for Passenger Service, was published in 2017. And without any promotion, the first batch of 3,000 books sold out in two weeks, purchased mainly by employees of China’s railway system.
So, the publishing house soon printed 10,000 more books.
Separately, he has also helped to compile a handbook of everyday English terms for Beijingers to prepare for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Recently, Feng visited the construction site of the new airport in Beijing, which will be a major transportation hub not only for airlines, but also for railways, metros and highways.
Speaking about his visit, he says: “There is no word in English that can describe the magnificent view of this new airport.”
Meanwhile, Feng likes offering advice to the railway authorities. And in 2013, he came up with 100 suggestions, such as developing train coaches with transparent roofs to allow for sightseeing.
Feng’s Chinese wife, who he met during their doctorate studies, supports his passion and they sometimes take trains together.
According to current Chinese regulations, Feng will qualify to apply for permanent residence in China in 2020.
“I will definitely apply for it and continue to spread the word about Chinese railway culture,” he says.