On September 29, 2022, Assistant Professor Ma Xiao from the School of Government at Peking University delivered a lecture at Yenching Academy entitled “Localized bargaining: The political economy of China’s high-speed railway program” hosted by YCA Associate Dean Brent Haas. 2022 Yenching Scholars participated in the synchronous online and in-person session, which was part of the Topics in China Lecture series for the 2022 Fall semester. The purpose of the class was to discuss the evolution of China’s extensive HRS program, analyzing the variations in HSR rollout and how the interplay of diverse interests of the central and local governments, regions, and other stakeholders influence the planning, location, and construction of HSR projects across China.