Editor's Note: China Daily is running a series of stories on old revolutionary bases with profound history and heritage that are striving to lead local people on the road to prosperity in the new era.

A paved road winds through plantations in Bazhong, Sichuan province. CHINA DAILY 

Once arduous journeys now safer and shorter thanks to three rounds of development

It takes visitors from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, four hours by train or bus to reach Bazhong, if they want to view the famous display of autumn leaves in this city in the easternmost part of the province.

Many complain that to get there more quickly, they have to take a train bound for Hanzhong in neighboring Shaanxi province. From there, they can take a taxi to Bazhong's Nanjiang county, part of a former revolutionary base on the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi, which is best known for its autumn leaves.

But visitors will now find that it's faster to reach those leaves thanks to the transportation boom kicked off by the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, decision-makers in Bazhong said.