Home has never seemed so close to Wu Feiran, a 28-year-old who left his hometown to pursue his education and career 10 years ago.

Born and raised in Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, Wu left the city in 2004 for college and then settled in Shenzhen, one of the most developed cities in South China's Guangdong province.

"Back then, compared with Shenzhen, Guiyang was a relatively backward area to me, even though I was missing my family and friends who lived there," Wu recalled. He said he was determined to pursue his dream in big cities like Shenzhen.

Wu, who works for a media group in Shenzhen, was invited to take part in a trip from Guiyang to Guangzhou, on the new Guiyang-Guangzhou highspeed railway. The trip changed his view entirely.

"The pace of Guizhou's development really surprised me, as I had the chance to witness every train station and see the counties along the way," he said.

It used to take Wu almost 20 hours to visit his parents in Guiyang. When the highspeed railway, which runs at 250 kilometers per hour, opens the time will be shortened to just five hours.

The trip made Wu reconsider his career choice, as he said he now sees new opportunities arising, not only in cities but in Guizhou as well.

"I know there are still many decisions to make, but to me, home felt so close," said Wu. He said he believed his once sleepy hometown was starting to blossom and would soon attract more people to live and work there.

zhaokai@chinadaily.com.cn