Water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, next-generation communications networks, urban underground pipe networks, and logistics networks — these "six networks" are the core content of China's modern infrastructure system construction during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

China has already built the world's largest integrated transport infrastructure system, so why is it still necessary to upgrade and build a logistics network? A frontline investigation looked for answers at an agricultural products market in Pengzhou, Sichuan.

A well-developed road network connects one market to 340 cities

Early in the morning, Southwest China's largest agricultural products distribution hub is already bustling, with more than 15,000 tons of fruits and vegetables traded here every day.

A CCTV reporter noted that trucks entering and leaving the market come from Henan, Shandong, Hubei, and other places, and behind every license plate is a logistics route. Following these trucks, one can draw a flowing map: the market connects 31 provincial-level regions and 340 cities. The nearest truck may travel only a few dozen kilometers, while the farthest comes from Kashgar in Xinjiang — more than 3,400 kilometers, crossing deserts and plateaus before entering the Sichuan Basin.

Merchant Yin Guangxu said: "What we sell is all watermelon freshly picked from the fields. Right now we're selling northeastern melons, and when that ends we'll sell Guangxi melons, followed by Myanmar melons and Lao melons."

The "four-season freshness" in the market is precisely made possible by the continuous improvement of road network construction.

A digital supply chain platform solves the problem of small-batch cargo circulation

However, a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables arriving at the market is only the first step; they also need to circulate quickly. In the past, merchants each found their own trucks and sold their own goods. Sometimes, hiring a truck for just a few boxes of vegetables or a dozen pieces of fruit was not cost-effective, but waiting to fill a whole truck affected freshness.

So how can small-batch cargo be organized effectively? Across the street from the market, the reporter found another change taking place — a newly built digital supply chain platform for agricultural products, which fills in service links such as order organization, warehousing, and distribution.

Every day, goods headed to different destinations are regrouped, and vehicles, routes, and loading rates are all calculated by the system. In as little as three minutes, a distribution plan can be produced.

Deng Jiewen, head of logistics operations at the delivery division of the agricultural products digital supply chain platform, said: "The loading rate is now above 95%, and the average daily loss has dropped from 5% in the past to 0.5% now."

Information connected into a network promotes synchronized distribution at both production and sales ends

Distribution has been unified, and information has also been connected into a network. The platform has multiple central warehouses across the country, and market conditions from various regions converge into a "demand map": Vietnamese durians are most popular among consumers in Fuzhou and Jiujiang, Jiangxi; people in Shenzhen buy the most Liaoning grapes; and most Guangxi bananas enter the Chengdu market.

Goods are sold along the network, and information is transmitted back along the network. In an orchard in Tangba Village, Pengzhou City, Chengdu, Sichuan, 200,000 jin of kiwifruit already have buyers before being picked, and harvesting and shipping are scheduled in advance.

Xu Guibin, Party branch secretary of Tangba Village, said that production and sales ends are now synchronized, the information channel from market to orchard has been opened up, and fruit is sent directly by truck after being picked.

Changes in this market are a microcosm of logistics network construction. In the past, people looked at whether a hub had been built or a route had been opened; now, they look at whether hubs and corridors can connect efficiently and whether logistics services can link industry and markets.

The "Logistics Network Construction Implementation Plan" issued in August this year pushes logistics infrastructure from "deploying points and connecting lines" toward "forming chains and networks."

Liu Dong, deputy director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport, said: "We no longer simply pursue the number and scale of facilities, but place greater emphasis on the actual efficiency of coordinated operation among nodes and corridors, and strengthen the functional division of labor and organic connection among freight nodes."

Continuously densifying the logistics network ensures smooth circulation of the national economy

At present, logistics network construction is accelerating efforts to fill in nodes, connect corridors, upgrade facilities, and link data. Bottlenecks in multimodal transport involving railways, highways, waterways, and aviation are also being opened up at a faster pace, and international backbone logistics networks such as China-Europe freight trains and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor continue to be densified.

Once goods flow smoothly, what else can the logistics network drive? During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, 181 national logistics hubs planned and built across the country will be further interconnected into a network, driving industrial development and enhancing comprehensive competitiveness. Support will be given to about 1,000 major freight nodes to improve multimodal transport functions, helping enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency. The logistics network will also extend toward urban and rural areas and internationally, driving new demand for smart warehousing, new energy logistics equipment, and more.

One logistics network, while better serving the real economy, supports smooth circulation of the national economy and high-quality development.