A Hungarian student who is passionate about the Chinese language and songs has expressed her aspiration to pursue a career that builds stronger connections between the two countries as she celebrated the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival on Tuesday.
The MBA student and talented singer has been learning at the Confucius Institute of the University of Miskolc and was given the endearing name of "Bu Gu", which means "cuckoo", by her teacher, inspired by the melodious singing and diligent nature of the bird.
The name deeply resonated with the student, who has been learning Chinese for five years and has become proficient in singing various Chinese songs.
One song that particularly moved her is "Prelude to Water Melody," adapted from an ancient poem by Su Shi, a renowned Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet known for his optimism and resilience in the face of life's setbacks. The poem, which was written during the Mid-Autumn Festival, expresses Su Shi's longing for his brother.
Upon first hearing the song, Bu Gu was enchanted and later delved into the profound meaning of the original lyrics and context.
"When the poet Su Shi wrote this poem, he was missing his brother. And we can sense this feeling throughout the whole poem. But what I found that's really fascinating is that in the end, you can feel that you need to stay positive about this, because even though we are far away from each other, we still have the whole moon. So, if you look at the moon, we can still feel that we are together as a family," she explained.
Bu Gu's enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture has had a significant impact on her family and friends, as she often looks to share her favorite Chinese songs with those around her.
She has even encouraged her peers and her mother to participate in Chinese language classes, and last year they all took part in a celebratory event for the Mid-Autumn Festival, where they ate various flavors of the traditional mooncakes which are seen as a symbol of the festival and learned more about the old customs which date back centuries.
"I told my mom, OK, you can go and taste some tea, and learn some basic words just like 'Nihao' (hello) or 'Xiexie' (thank you). Maybe, if she will get time, she will put more time [into learning] or start to learn it with me," she said.
This summer, Bu Gu was selected to participate in a summer camp organized by her school in Beijing. Although she had researched China and its recent developments, she was surprised by the fusion of traditions and modernity she witnessed upon her arrival.
"I was not expecting that Beijing could keep the tradition as well inside. It was so beautifully combined with modernity that it is not bothering you to see the big buildings next to maybe the Hutongs (traditional old alleyways). We went to see Nanluoguxiang. We had this small boat trip on the lake, so you can feel that harmony in the quiet places. When we saw the Bird's Nest, the stadium, I had this feeling of the real China, the traditional side of China and also the modern side of China," she said.
Through her studies, singing and travel experiences, Bu Gu has gained a profound understanding of China, and said she now hopes to pursue a career which sees her playing her part to serve as a bridge between Hungary and China after her graduation.
Hungarian student deepens bond with China through singing Chinese songs
China's development of a next-generation bullet train able to hit an operation speed of 400 kilometers per hour (km/h) was the result of the country's determination to continually push the standards of locomotive technology to the next level, according to Zhao Hongwei, one of the senior researchers behind the achievement.
On December 29, 2024, the prototype of the CR450 train made its debut at the National Railway Test Center in Beijing, captivating the world with its sheer speed.
Prior to this, test trains equipped with the CR450's cutting-edge technologies had already clocked an astonishing single-train speed of 453 km/h and a relative crossing speed of 891 km/h on the Fuzhou-Xiamen high-speed railway's Meizhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge, setting new global benchmarks.
As chief researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences, Zhao and her team is behind the entire R-and-D process of the Fuxing high-speed train series, having developed a train network control system -- sometimes called the "brain" of EMU trains.
China Railway said efforts to raise operational speeds to 400km/h started in 2018, and production of the prototype officially began in 2024. It was Zhao's job to work out a master plan to increase the speed of bullet trains, tackling challenges from cost performance to technical feasibility.
The new model will be significantly faster than the CR400 Fuxing high-speed trains -- still the world's fastest of its kind by far with an operation speed of 350 km/h.
"We have posed several top-level technical objectives for CR450 EMU trains, including higher speed, better security, higher energy efficiency, more comfort and higher intelligence," Zhao said.
In the development process, researchers were tasked with determining not just how to make a faster train, but improving China's locomotive technology in such a way that would most benefit its already vast network of railways that may currently be limited to lower speeds.
"In 2018 we compiled some statistics, and there were about 10,000 kilometers railway lines where trains could run at a speed of 350 km/h. How can we raise the speed while making full use of the existing railways, that is a question. It can bring the greatest benefits when line conditions are relatively consistent but equipment is upgraded. We have done some market surveys that found the improved speed will bring a huge edge to our overall rail service market," explained Zhao.
The CR450 train resembles an arrow when viewed from the side and weighs in at about 10 tonnes, making it more than 10 percent lighter than its predecessor. Such efforts contributed by the large-scale adoption of carbon fiber and magnesium alloy, though, were not enough to achieve the energy objective.
To increase the speed from 350 km/h to 400 km/h, Chinese train designers had to deal with the surging energy consumption brought by a 30 percent increase in air friction. Zhao said that her team adjusted the slenderness ratio of the train head to reduce the friction by 22 percent.
Balancing the need for weight reduction and noise control has also been a delicate dance. Zhao described the meticulous calculations required to ensure each component meets the stringent technical specifications.
"We want to ensure that both the weight and noise are reduced, so what follows is meticulous calculation. Main engine enterprises have required their suppliers cut the size and weight of each component while meeting certain technical standards," Zhao said.
The CR450's innovative features extend to its traction system, which for the first time in China's high-speed rail history, will utilize permanent magnet motors. This technology boasts an efficiency improvement of more than three percent over the asynchronous traction motors used in the CR400.
Safety is always of the utmost importance for passengers, especially with the dramatic increase in speed, Zhao emphasized as she explained why the operational speed must be capped significantly below the train's true top speed.
"If the traction system does not work, the worst-case scenario would be that the train can't move. But if the brake system fails, the train will not stop, posing the biggest safety risk. So we now require that when the train runs at the speed of 400 km/h, the braking distance has to reach 6,500 meters, which is the same distance as our CR400 braking at 350 km/h," she said.
The development of the CR450 has been a true collaborative effort, involving over 100 companies responsible for the design and production of the train's components, and more than 2,100 enterprises participating in the overall process.
Zhao emphasized the importance of constant communication and innovation to overcome the challenges posed by the ambitious technical targets. "Sometimes people are not likely to explore other technologies if the existing technology is widely adopted and mature. But if you want to meet higher technical requirements for the train, you must adopt new technologies. You have to break through and innovate, because there is no longer mature experience abroad to learn from," the researcher said.
The CR450 EMU, like its predecessors, has completely independent intellectual property rights, and it is also necessary to establish a "Chinese standard" on this basis.
"We already had full intellectual property rights in the CR400 trains. Our entire research and development system and testing system are in fact very complete. So we have the ability and confidence to carry out research on higher speed EMU trains," Zhao said.
China Railway said on Sunday that the next step is to put the prototype through a series of line tests and assessments to further assess its performance. The cutting-edge bullet train could be up for running on China's high-speed railways in a year or so.
China has the world's biggest high-speed rail network, with 48,000km of lines in service connecting 31 provincial-level administrations, catering to over 2.2 billion passengers.
China builds world's fastest high-speed train through unremitting innovation: engineer
China builds world's fastest high-speed train through unremitting innovation: engineer
