Born in Fujian province, Xu Feina has eked out a living through her own efforts in Beijing's Tongzhou district amid the capital subcenter's rapid development.
The subcenter in the district is home to the city government's administrative offices.
"I am living a comfortable life here," said Xu, who is in her 30s. "It has not only attracted me to stay here, but also my 70-year-old mother."
She bought an apartment in Tongzhou and moved there in 2013.
"When I saw the Grand Canal shining under the sun, I felt like I was living in a water town," she added. "I have witnessed the changes in the past few years and have enjoyed the improvements. The best parts are the fast developing transportation system and the education and medical resources."
Xu said she only spends one hour commuting from home to her office in the central business district of Chaoyang.
Further, her trips outside the city have become more convenient since Beijing's suburban railway line was put into operation in the area on Dec 31, 2017. It now takes only 40 minutes for Xu to get to the Beijing West Railway Station.
The traffic network in Tongzhou has been developed gradually in recent years. Currently, a comprehensive transportation hub in Tongzhou is under construction, designed to connect three subway lines and two railways. It will be completed by 2024, according to the government's plan.
The hub, which covers 61 hectares, has an underground section consisting of three stories and is expected to be the largest underground transportation hub in Asia. Investment for the underground section reached 34.5 billion yuan ($4.97 billion).
"It will take only one hour by public transportation from Beijing's subcenter to reach Xiong'an New Area and only 35 minutes to Beijing Daxing International Airport," said Wang Chengjun, head of the subcenter's project construction office.
"The hub will be green and smart, and it will drive regional economic growth and bring convenience to people."
One of the three new subway lines, named M101, will connect Tongzhou to three counties in Langfang city, Hebei province. The line, with a total length of 23 kilometers and 16 stations, will help the integrated development of the subcenter and nearby regions in Hebei and ease traffic congestion in the capital.
Zeng Zanrong, Party chief of the Tongzhou area, said at a news conference in December that the subcenter will maintain an investment goal of more than 100 billion yuan per year over the next five years.
"For the next step, a group of infrastructure projects will be carried out, aimed at building the subcenter into a 'gateway' for the integrated development between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province," Zeng said.
