Later, land transportation saw the advent of rickshaws and horse-drawn carriages; trains and trams; while waterways gained steamships. Human travel thus became more convenient, more reliable, and faster.
—Hu Shih, An Outline of Chinese Grammar
Transportation is a foundational, pioneering, and strategic industry within the national economy. It serves as a vital service sector and an integral component of the modern economic system, providing crucial support for building a new development paradigm and offering a solid guarantee for serving people's better lives and promoting common prosperity. Transportation belongs to the tertiary sector of the national economy. From the adage “To get rich, build roads first” to the vision of “a China Dragon in motion,” and now to a three-dimensional network spanning land, sea, and air, transportation has flourished, facilitating seamless connectivity in daily life, travel, commerce, and logistics.
According to the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Integrated Transportation System, by 2025, China's integrated transportation system will achieve substantial progress in integrated and coordinated development, with significant breakthroughs in intelligent and green transportation. Comprehensive capabilities, service quality, operational efficiency, and overall effectiveness will be markedly enhanced, propelling China's transportation development toward world-class standards.
