Gala spices up Kunming-Vientiane train ride

In December, the UNESCO inscribed Spring Festival — the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of their traditional New Year — on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Paxaphacdy says he could feel the grand sense of the occasion during the festival, which impresses him with "very distinct Chinese characteristics".

"Chinese New Year is not only celebrated within China, but also in Laos and across the entire ASEAN region, with many people participating and feeling its warm festive atmosphere," he says.

On Dec 3, the China-Laos Railway celebrated its third anniversary of operation, delivering an impressive performance.

The railway has handled over 43 million passenger trips and more than 48.3 million metric tons of cargo, with safe operations.

It has significantly enhanced regional connectivity, boosted regional economic growth, facilitated people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and demonstrated great development potential as a golden transport corridor, experts say.

To meet the travel demands of passengers during the Spring Festival holiday, railway authorities have made elaborate arrangements for transport capacity, increased the number of passenger trains on the China-Laos Railway and offered service information in Chinese, Lao and English for convenience.

In addition to the exciting performances, Robert Michael Adolf from Germany is among many international travelers who enjoyed tasting Pu'er tea and coffee from Yunnan and appreciating the beauty of paper-cut window decorations.

"It's just so convenient. I took this train a couple of years back from Laos to Xishuangbanna; it's so easy just to cross countries," Adolf says.

He has taken quite a shine to Xishuangbanna of Yunnan, Luang Prabang in Laos, and its capital Vientiane, and has been stunned by the diverse ethnic groups in the areas covered by the rail.

"You can linger at each stop. …there's so much to do and it's easy to access," he says.