"The Lijiang-Shangri-La railway now under construction will open to traffic by the end of 2020, and bullet trains will cut the Lijiang-Shangri-La tour to only one hour by then," said Diqing prefectural governor Qi Jianxin.

Qi Jianxin, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress, said this at an interview during the just-concluded annual two sessions in Beijing.

Qi said the current Lijiang-Shangri-La trip lasts for three or four hours either by car or by coach, adding the Lijiang-Shangri-La free way will also open to traffic next year.

Qi noted the high-speed railway and expressway are expected to give a strong pull to tourism in Diqing and the entire Kham area at large.

Source: Kangba TV; trans-editing by Wang Shixue