Tracking China's culture

Besides Kang, Du Hui, a provincial-level inheritor of birch bark pyrography, was casually drawing a mountain range.

"To create a piece, the bark first needs to be compressed with a wooden board for over a year and combined before creating the pyrography," said Du, 46, a member of the Ewenki ethnic group. "The spots and scars on the bark can be turned into stones in the picture.

"The Ewenki houses, called cuoluozi, are made of birch bark, and the cradle I used as a child was also made of birch bark," he said.

"Now, I incorporate modern elements into my works, creating not only pyrography pictures, but also pen holders, fridge magnets, birch bark bags and tea barrels."

As the train rolled on, the Ewenki inheritor sang a folk song in the Ewenki language, while an Ewenki jaw harp inheritor accompanied him, prompting passengers to spontaneously join in singing together.

In the dining carriage, railway workers prepared local cuisine — frozen pears and frozen persimmons — for passengers, as well as delivering wonderful performances, such as yangko, a type of folk dance.

"This Spring Festival marks the first one after Chinese New Year was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," said the train conductor Shi Lei.

"With more tourists visiting Mohe, we prepared the themed train, allowing passengers to learn about Heilongjiang's intangible cultural heritage while enjoying their trip."