Xi'an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province in northwest China, has become the first city in the country to operate more than 25,000 China-Europe freight train trips, according to the Chinese Ministry of Transport.
The city has handled over 4,000 China-Europe freight trains and shipped around 4.6 million tons of goods in the first three quarter of 2024.
Once the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, Xi'an City has become a vital node linking Asia and Europe.
The Xi'an International Port Station operates 18 regular international routes, which reach Almaty in Kazakhstan, Tashkent in Uzbekistan, and Hamburg in Germany, traversing the Caspian Sea and covering the entire Eurasian continent.
The cross-border China-Europe Freight Train service connecting China and the European countries, officially known as "CHINA RAILWAY Express", has connected Chinese cities with 222 European cities in 25 countries.
Initiated in 2011, the China-Europe rail service is considered a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative to boost trade between China and countries along the routes.
Xi’an handles over 25,000 China-Europe freight train trips, setting new record
The ice and snow tourism sector has continued to gain popularity in northeast China so far in the current winter season.
Harbin City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is home to the world's largest snow theme park, the Ice and Snow World, which has become one of the most iconic winter attractions in the country.
The theme park skyrocketed in popularity on Chinese social media last winter, capturing the country's growing passion for winter sports and tourism. It received over 2.7 million visits last year.
Since this year's edition officially opened on Dec 21, the park has been bustling with tourists marveling at the surreal wintry wonders amid the crisp, biting wind.
Harbin has also built impressive giant snowmen at various tourist attractions across the city, greeting visitors from both home and abroad with their distinctive appearances.
Harbin's last snow season saw more than 87 million visitors, up 300 percent year on year, generating 124.8 billion yuan (about 17.4 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, a staggering 500 percent growth.
Another popular winter destination this year is Chongli in north China's Hebei Province neighboring Beijing.
Chongli was one of the primary venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics and is known for its rich skiing resources. It is home to nine major ski resorts, offering a total of over 160 kilometers of ski trail.
China is actively encouraging the development of the ice and snow economy.
Last year, the country recorded over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year, with related revenue rising by 50 percent. The number of visits is projected to exceed 500 million this year.
In 2023, China boasted over 2,800 ice and snow sports venues, including 935 ski resorts and over 1,900 ice rinks. This marks an increase of over 16 percent in facilities compared to 2022.
The significant growth in China's winter tourism is partly driven by affordable airfares.
Data from Chinese travel booking platforms shows that bookings for flights to popular ice and snow destinations in the northeast, including Harbin, and Changchun and the Changbai Mountains in neighboring Jilin Province, have risen by 20 percent year on year since December.
In response to this increased demand, Chinese airlines are expanding capacity and introducing special winter-themed routes.
Ice-snow economy continues to gain momentum in northeast China
