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This study examines the nexus between high-speed rail (HSR) stations and city evolution from an urban science perspective. We analyzed 1627 HSR stations built from 1976 to 2021 in 533 Chinese and European cities. Node or activity clusters in cities are identified through the street network. Then, the urban forms of Chinese and European cities are compared and the Zipf's law is tested. We found that activity clusters in Europe tend to be more contiguous and clustered, suggesting a clear downtown. In Chinese cities, these clusters are more scattered, suggesting polycentric urban development. When the Zipf's law is applied to the size distribution of activity clusters, the rank-size rule is supported both at the aggregate and country levels. Generally, it takes roughly two decades for an HSR station to be able to mature in attracting related development, such as residence and businesses, to complete the exploration process of city evolution. Finally, contributory factors for the integration of HSR stations with the urban fabrics are examined. Apart from the size of the city, economic power, station features and the spatial pattern of activity clusters, the relative location of the HSR station in relation to the urban form matters. Our study contributes both to the HSR and urban science literature, and has practical implications for locational decisions about HSR stations. • Analyzed 1627 HSR stations built from 1976 to 2021 in 533 cities • Measured activity clusters from an urban science perspective • Urban forms of Chinese and European cities are compared and Zipf's law is tested. • Contributory factors for integration HSR stations with urban fabrics are identified. • City size, GDP, station features, and size of nearest node clusters matter [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]