After graduating from Kunming Metallurgy College in 2020, she became a train attendant in the China Railway Kunming Group and in December 2021, Yi was aboard the first train on its maiden voyage, witnessing the historical opening of the China-Laos Railway.

As of June 3, the railway had handled 16.4 million passenger trips and 21 million metric tons of cargo, according to the China Railway Kunming Group.

With a designated speed of 160 kilometers per hour, the railway aims to promote the movement of people and cargo between the two countries, and further play a role as a key corridor to boost communications in the Southeast Asia region.