Fuzhou opens China's first cross-sea high-speed railway

"The rail will link Fuzhou and Xiamen in just 55 minutes, to offer residents in both cities a 'one-hour living circle'," he added.

The provincial Fuzhou city and popular tourism hot spot Xiamen play an important role in socio-economic development of Fujian province, expecting to benefit 30 million people.

Chen Xianjun paid 126 yuan for a second-class seat on the train on Thursday morning. He said he is excited to be one of the first passengers to take the train after following related news for years.

"It'll be very convenient to travel between Fuzhou and Xiamen for me," he said, adding that he plans to spend the upcoming National Day holiday in Xiamen.

Yang Jie contributed to this story.