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how many intersections and traffic lights will there be from babaoshan to sihui hub?

the answer is: 55 intersections, big and small, with 28 traffic lights. chang hongxia, who has been driving for more than 20 years, knows this number best. as a driver of beijing no. 1 bus, she has to pass by tiananmen square six times a day.

the first bus route opened in beijing after the founding of new china, the first bus route in beijing to operate 24 hours a day, the bus route that runs entirely on chang'an avenue... these labels all point to a unique route - beijing bus no. 1.

on july 5, 1961, bus no. 1 departed from gongzhufen and officially took on the task of operating on chang'an avenue. since then, it has passed through tiananmen square, wangfujing and other important political sites and prosperous areas in the capital, becoming the "first road to the country" in people's mouths and a window for chinese people to glimpse the heart of the motherland.

from 14.82 kilometers to the current 27.1 kilometers, bus route 1 has gone through decades and has undergone many adjustments. to some extent, the direction of chang'an avenue is the direction of bus route 1.

if roads are the arteries of a city, then public transportation is like the blood flowing through them. together, they support the normal operation of a city. over the past few decades, the changes inside and outside the bus have not only been the growth trajectory of bus no. 1, but also a cross-section of beijing's public transportation and urban development.

ding ding car

ding ding ding - in 1924, accompanied by a crisp bell sound, beijing's first tram drove out of zhengyangmen.

the interior of the tram is made of pure solid wood, and a copper bell is hung on the front of the car. when the driver steps lightly on the pedal while driving, a clanging sound will be heard. because of this special and highly recognizable sound, it is affectionately called the "dingdang car" by the people.

"the bus was extremely crowded with passengers and there were huge crowds of spectators along the way, but the order was very good." this was how the opening ceremony was described in the morning post that year, which was enough to give us a glimpse of people's enthusiasm for the new means of transportation.

the first tram in 1924. image source: beijing public transport group

"before 1924, ordinary people traveled mainly on foot, and rickshaws were a privilege for the rich." according to xu zhengxiang, director of the strategy and reform and development department of beijing public transport group, the ticket price of the "dangdang car" is only one-third of that of a rickshaw. it has been very popular since its opening, and the phenomenon of selling "hanging tickets" has even emerged. "some passengers hang directly on the back of the tram."

it was not until 1935 that the dodge buses with "big noses" were put into use, and people's basic travel needs were gradually met. that year, the "no. 1 bus route" was opened from chaoyangmen to fuchengmen.”, with a total length of 8.6 kilometers. in less than two years, it was forced to stop operating due to war.

after the founding of new china, with the development and changes of beijing, the bus routes changed several times. it was not until july 5, 1961 that the reborn no. 1 bus officially drove onto chang'an avenue, running from gongzhufen via xidan, zhongshan park, dongdan to bawangfen, with a total length of 14.82 kilometers.

air leakage, vibration and noise are the memories of chang hongxia, who was born in 1978. in winter, the old saying "a needle hole can blow a lot of wind" is proven true.

but when she was a child, she still liked taking the bus.

at that time, public transportation was scarce, and taking the bus was always associated with traveling far away. behind the driver's seat was chang hongxia's favorite place to stand. in those days, bus drivers needed to frequently manually shift and push gears, which she thought was "particularly impressive." the idea of ​​driving a "huge vehicle" was planted on her many bus rides.

driving 1 road

after graduation, chang hongxia joined beijing public transport group as a conductor. in 2001, she obtained an a1 driver's license (large passenger vehicle driver's license).

driving a "huge vehicle" is not an easy task after all. when she first started taking passengers for practice, chang hongxia always felt that the brake and accelerator were not coordinated well, and it was also difficult to steer the wheel. the master taught her a "half basin of water" training method. after get off work, she held a half basin of water at home with her right foot suspended in the air to simulate real driving operations.

later, in order to practice smooth driving, she put a glass of water in the cockpit before driving every day to see when the water in the glass would almost not spill.

it took her another 13 years to actually get behind the wheel of bus no. 1. on the founding day of the communist party of china in 2014, she became a bus driver on bus no. 1. in chang hongxia's words, this was a process of "running in both directions."

chang hongxia's work photo. photo provided by the interviewee

what is it like to drive on the “first road to the country”?

even though she has been driving for many years, new car models, new routes and more diverse passengers have become new challenges for chang hongxia, an "old driver".

after four major adjustments,on may 26, 2014, bus route 1 formed its current route from laoshan bus station to sihui hub station, with a total of 29 stops in the section, about 27.1 kilometers long, and an average driving time of 72 minutes.

"every station looks almost the same" was chang hongxia's first impression. the electric poles and trash cans beside the stations are all very similar. in addition, there may be four or five bus routes stopping at each station, which increases therememberthe difficulty of the exact station means that she needs to spend more time finding the correct entry position.

unlike other routes, the increase in passenger and vehicle traffic on chang'an avenue is explosive. according to statistics, bus route 1 carries an average of 35,000 passengers every day, making it a veritable "people's livelihood route". if it cannot enter the station quickly, it will cause inconvenience to passengers getting on and off the bus, and even cause danger.

"at that time, i used a stupid method. i took a notebook and took notes while sitting in another driver's car after get off work." chang hongxia would write down in her notebook exactly which trash can the front door was facing and where to start steering when the car stopped at each stop.

muscle memory was finally formed after half a year, but new problems arose.

"mobile lecture hall"

the special feature of the "first national road" is that it passes through a large number of famous scenic spots and there are a large number of tourists on the bus. chang hongxia's job means that she needs tomore familiartransferletterinterestand surrounding attractions.

"many passengers from other places take bus no. 1 because they want to experience the changes in beijing and the urban atmosphere of the capital through the scenery of chang'an avenue along the way." in order to have an intuitive understanding, chang hongxia and her colleagues will also conduct field surveys along the route. in recent years, "how to make good use of the tourism resources along the route and innovate the carriage services" has become the direction of her and the entire team's efforts.

what is the connection between "princess tomb" and "princess pearl"? what is so special about the architectural style of the china millennium monument? how many weapons are there in the military museum of the chinese people's revolution? how big is tiananmen square?

the answers to these questions can be found in the "guided tour service" on bus no. 1. the commentary not only covers the small details behind the scenic spots along the route, but will also be continuously upgraded and iterated.

since the 100th anniversary of the founding of the party in 2021, some red stories have been included. from the may fourth movement to "going to beijing to take the imperial examination"”, from the founding ceremony to the monument to the people's heroes. although chang hongxia, as a driver, did not directly participate in the explanation, she would slow down when passing through tiananmen square during non-peak hours and cooperate with the crew's explanation, while reducing the bumpy feeling so that passengers can fully immerse themselves in the tour.

applauseoften, the explanation came to an end. "although i couldn't see the scene, hearing the voices of the passengers was also a recognition for me. a beijing auntie called on the spot to praise:'i didn't expect that such an ordinary bus could integrate red stories into it. you are like a mobile classroom, not only meeting the travel needs of citizens, but also promoting national spirit and culture.’”

at present, the tentacles of "guided tour service" are still extending.

"looking for elements on no. 1 road and chang'an avenue,a passengerwrite your favorite spots and then give us feedback. if they are finally adopted, you can hear your own commentary in the car. "in may this year, the "hongxia innovation studio" led by chang hongxia launched the "beijing bus route 1 car commentary collection activity". she sees this as an exploration of connecting herself and the entire fleet with young people, hoping to reach more potential passengers through interaction.

inside and outside the car

"when winter comes, the tips of my fingers, toes and nose freeze, commonly known as 'frozen three tips'." this was chang hongxia's experience on the yellow river channel bus when she just started working in 1995.

in the summer, the scene is completely different. after one lap, "the engine is so hot that it can be used to make pancakes."

but she is lucky because she is the same age as the reform and opening up. a generation of beijing bus drivers, including her, have witnessed every key node in the rapid development of beijing's public transportation.

in xu zhengxiang's words, new technologies of each era will be first put into use on line 1, "because it is a mobile 'business card' of beijing's urban civilization and represents the face of the capital."

in 1999, cng natural gas vehicles were put into operation on route 1, marking the promotion of the use of new energy vehicles. in 2012, it was upgraded to lng liquefied natural gas air-conditioned access vehicles, "air-conditioned in summer and warm air in winter", which greatly improved the passenger experience.

on october 22, 2017, 10 18-meter-long pure electric buses were officially put into operation on beijing bus route 1. photo by beijing daily reporter sun jian

the latest "chinese red" image bus was launched on october 22, 2017. it is a pure electric vehicle with a streamlined design, low floor, large capacity, and various intelligent configurations. it can alarm and contact the regional mobilization center with one button. "quiet" is the most intuitive feeling of passengers, and it also provides more convenience for special groups to ride.

the changes extend far beyond the interior of the car.

"there is a small uphill slope on the gongzhufen bridge. every time i climb the slope, i can see the buildings on chang'an avenue coming into view little by little, and i can feel the city's booming development." chang hongxia watched more green plants planted on both sides of the street, the guardrails turning golden, and more and more details decorating the "no. 1 street in china."

in addition, there is a more complete road planning. in 1997, the country's first bus lane was opened on chang'an avenue. now the lanes have been connected into a network, supporting the city's huge demand for travel.

“morning and eveningpeaktaking our no. 1 bus on chang'an avenue on the bus lane, you can feel our 'bus speed.' chang hongxia roughly estimated that "we can exceed 100 to 200 cars per minute."

bus no. 1 passes through tiananmen square. photo by beijing daily reporter deng wei

2,296 are the number of public transportation routes currently operated by beijing public transport group. from fengning bus station in the north to bazhou railway station in the south, from zhuolu in the west to xinglong bus station in the east, in recent years, the "tentacles" of beijing public transportation have already broken through the boundaries of the city, and this network woven by bus routes is becoming denser and larger.

"hundreds of thousands of passengers are transported between beijing and hebei every day." xu zhengxiang said that in the past decade, beijing public transport group has actively integrated into the construction of the beijing-tianjin-hebei urban agglomeration, and the number of cross-city bus routes has increased from 22 ten years ago to 38 today.

but in sharp contrastyes, the historical peak of bus passenger flow is now a thing of the past. according to statistics, the average daily passenger flow in 2009 reached 13 million, about twice the current level.

how do you view the decline in numbers? xu zhengxiang has his own perspective. "the data cannot be viewed without considering the social context. the decline in the number of people is precisely because the living standards of residents have improved, travel modes have diversified, and people have more choices. however, the fundamental nature of buses has not changed. they are still people-oriented. in the future, more customized services will be added on the basis of ensuring the travel needs of the people."

in his eyes, the "first road at the border of the country" running on chang'an avenue is even more irreplaceable.

"people are paying attention to the high-rise buildings along the street, but buildings are static, while no. 1 bus is dynamic. the combination of movement and stillness creates a lively landscape." looking to the future, xu zhengxiang hopes that no. 1 bus can become a benchmark for practicing bus priority and green and low-carbon travel on chang'an avenue. at the same time, the model of no. 1 bus can continue to be optimized to be closer to the streetscape of chang'an avenue, "making the car and the street seamlessly integrated and becoming another cultural symbol of the 100-mile-long street."