Lu Jinsheng and his wife attend the launching event of the Guizhou section of the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Guiyang north station in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 8, 2023.

Lu Jinsheng, a young bullet train driver on the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway, hails from Yundong Township in Duyun City, which lies along this very route. Since the inauguration of the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in 2023, Lu has been piloting trains with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, through the vast mountains and lengthy tunnels of Guizhou and Guangxi. His work not only provides a swift travel option for residents along the railway but also brings a steady stream of tourists to his hometown.

From a village boy to a high-speed train driver, Lu has witnessed the dramatic transformation of his hometown's transportation infrastructure, from muddy paths and cement roads to expressways and high-speed railways. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)

Lu Jinsheng adjusts his uniform before embarking on his duty at a bullet train workshop in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Lu Jinsheng (1st R) waits for a train to arrive at Guiyang north station in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Lu Jinsheng drives a bullet train on the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway on Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Lu Jinsheng talks with a train conductor on duty on an interphone at Guiyang north station in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

This photo taken on Feb. 7, 2025 shows a bullet train driven by Lu Jinsheng departing from Duyun east station in Duyun City, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 8, 2025 shows bullet train G1616 moving on a bridge of the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Duyun City, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)

This combo photo shows Lu Jinsheng driving a bullet train on the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Duyun City on Feb. 7, 2025 (upper, taken by Xinhua photographer Yang Wenbin), playing Lusheng, a traditional reed-pipe wind instrument, in ethnic clothing in Danzhai County on May 10, 2023 (L, bottom) and working in fields in Mingying Village, Yundong Township of Duyun City on May 31, 2014, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua)

Lu Jinsheng, his wife and children peel corn at their home in Mingying Village, Yundong Township, Duyun City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 23, 2023. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)

Lu Jinsheng takes an alcohol test before embarking on his duty at a bullet train workshop in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

This combo photo shows a bullet train driven by Lu Jinsheng moving on a bridge of the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Duyun City on Feb. 8, 2025 (L, aerial drone photo taken by Long Jianrui) and the muddy paths in the past in Mingying Village in Duyun City (undated file photo), southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua)

Lu Jinsheng drives a bullet train on the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway on Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 6, 2025 shows a view of Mingying Village, hometown of Lu Jinsheng, in Yundong Township of Duyun City, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 8, 2025 shows bullet train G1616 moving on a bridge of the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Duyun City, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)

Lu Jinsheng transcribes precautions before embarking on his duty at a bullet train workshop in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)