Shan Xinghua is the chief researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited. She also serves as the deputy director of the China Railway 12306 Science and Technology Innovation Center. Adhering to the purpose of "The People's Railway Serves the People," Shan, who is 50 years old, has been committed to researching and developing China's railway passenger ticketing system for over 20 years. She has led her team in developing the 12306 system into a super-large, real-time ticketing system — with a globally leading transaction volume. Shan has made outstanding contributions to the digital and intelligent development of China's railway system. In recognition of her efforts, Shan has received numerous accolades, including being named a Most Beautiful Striver and a National March 8th Red-Banner Holder. In early December 2024, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee publicized Shan's exemplary deeds, and awarded her the title of Role Model of the Times. 

Inheritance

In 1996, the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS) recruited 28 professors and students from seven colleges and universities across China, since the academy was establishing a research team, which would be tasked with developing China's railway passenger ticketing system. Shan, who was pursuing a master's degree at east China Jiaotong University, in east China's Jiangxi Province, was selected as the youngest team member. "I was under a lot of pressure. I had to acquire massive new knowledge, and also balance the project with my studies at the university at the same time," Shan says. 

Years later, as Shan was about to finish her degree and graduate from the university, she chose to stay with CARS and pursue a career in developing the nation's railway system. Together with her teammates, Shan continued to upgrade the ticketing system, and she helped to guide the system through major milestones. In 2005, Shan began taking charge of the team's work. 

Throughout the years, Shan has received many tempting job offers from renowned enterprises. She has also had opportunities to choose another career path, and to make more money, given her experience and skills. But Shan declined all of those offers. "The railway ticketing system is the work achievement of many people. I must ensure this work is passed down well," Shan says. With such firm conviction, Shan has worked with CARS for more than 20 years and has come to regard her team as a big family. 

Innovation 

Since 1996, Shan has been committed to developing the ticketing system. "Research and development is a process of experiencing innumerous trials and errors," Shan says. Her creative thinking and goals became clearer, and her team's research problems were solved through trial and error, she adds. 

On June 12, 2011, the 12306 website was officially launched. It was the first step by China's railway system to embrace the era of e-commerce. But during the 2012 Spring Festival travel rush, a time of intense demand, the system faced its biggest challenge. "For five days, beginning on January 5, 2012, there were around one billion daily visits to the 12306 website, which became one of the busiest websites in the world," Shan recalls. 

Shan and her team worked around the clock to address that challenge. They analyzed system performance during the day, and tested potential methods of optimization at night. Their relentless efforts allowed the system to handle more than 1.4 billion daily visits and double its peak-day, ticket-sales capacity to 1.2 million tickets. 

Since then, Shan has led the team in upgrading the system, and in making improvements, "almost every day." The 12306 website has become a unified ticketing platform, with more than 700 million registered users. During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays in 2023, the website set successive ticket sales records — 22.877 million tickets were sold on September 15, and 26.952 million on September 22, respectively. Daily visits to the website exceeded 50 billion, and more than 1,000 tickets were sold each second. 

Original Aspiration

Shan believes "it is meaningful to make contributions to society." With this aspiration in mind, Shan has worked to meet people's travel demands. 

In recent years, Shan and her team have prioritized user-friendly innovations for diverse groups. Key reforms have included online student identity verification, barrier-free interfaces for elderly users, and group ticketing options for migrant workers. The barrier-free interfaces for elderly users have met the group's needs by adjusting font size and the contrast ratio on the interfaces. These changes, in particular, have benefited more than 10 million people, by November 2024. "Meeting people's aspirations for more convenient traveling is our constant goal," Shan says. 

Shan's expertise has extended beyond China. As China's high-speed railway has progressed rapidly, it has made breakthroughs "in going global." As a result, Shan has helped improve the functioning of overseas ticketing systems. Shan and her team have developed tailored ticketing systems for the China-Laos Railway, which began operations in 2021, and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, launched in 2023. Both systems were designed to accommodate local conditions, and user preferences. "This can create great value for society, and it will inspire me to forge ahead," Shan says. 

Shan, a pioneer in modernizing China's railway ticketing system, has received many honors. Many major research projects Shan has been associated with have received State-level awards. In addition, Shan has been named a Most Beautiful Railway Personage, in 2018, and a Most Beautiful Striver, in 2019. "My roots are in the railway system. I have been lucky to catch up with the golden age of high-quality railway development. The country and the railway have nurtured me, so I could grow and play my role," Shan says. 

When asked about the future, Shan confidently says, "I want to leverage the role of big data in advancing railway passenger transportation, and making our system more intelligent. I hope the 12306 system will play a crucial role in the development of China's integrated transportation system and will contribute to building China's strength in transportation." 

Photos by Zhai Xianting, Liu Jiahao and Song Xuanbing

(Women of China English Monthly February 2025)

Editor: Wang Shasha