For the attendant, from the Dai ethnic group, it is not only a train, but a bridge linking her home — in Mengla county, Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan — to the world.

Opening international passenger services on April 13, the 1,035-kilometer cross-border railway, a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative, allows passengers to travel between Kunming and Vientiane in 10 hours and 30 minutes, including inspections at customs clearance stations at the respective borders. Since it opened, Yi has completed more than 20 round trips.