A test train runs on the high-speed railway line linking Xiong'an with Beijing Daxing International Airport in September. [Photo by Sun Lijun/For China Daily]

As the students pass through multipurpose tunnel section RDSG-4 wearing safety helmets, they are excited to stand inside the double-layered underground compound, a tangible and touchable place that will be a boost for this city of the future within a decade.

Not too far away, a kindergarten, primary school, middle school and hospital are beginning to take shape, as well as the Xiong'an high-speed railway station, which is said to have the ability to carry passengers to Beijing West Railway Station in 30 minutes and to Daxing Airport in 15 minutes.

Those with time can take in the famous view of Xiong'an Night-numerous crane towers decorated with colored lights. But the talented and versatile young people glimpsed the future during their visit to the Xiong'an urban-rural management service center.

There, sample rooms showing future living are displayed-designs for young people, couples with children and the elderly. In typical Xiong'an style, the electrical appliances and other household features are smart.

Here, the students felt the future-their future.

In 2035, when Xiong'an is ready, the students will be in middle age. Maybe then they will have a real headache-free life, with traffic jams, children's education woes and crowded hospitals left far behind.

Or perhaps they've already joined one of the college's graduates, Guo Xiaoke, whom they met during the trip. Guo graduated with a doctorate from the university, and quit the university career in Beijing to move with his family to Xiong'an. He has become one of the new area's builders.