The first China-Central Asia international tourist train left China via the rail port in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Saturday noon.
Carrying 234 passengers, the maiden trip of the newly-launched service started from Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Thursday, and is set to end in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Saturday.
At Horgos Railway Station, passengers completed customs and border inspections before transferring to a special train for the section outside China.
"I've never traveled out of China by train before, and this trip has been very hassle free. I just completed my paperwork for border exit at the station. It's very convenient," said Chinese traveler Guo Yingjie.
By strengthening coordination with local customs, border inspection and other departments, local railway bureau ensured smooth ticket exchange for passengers, and managed to shorten the time for entry and exit procedures to about 2.5 hours.
"International combined transport tickets are different from ordinary train tickets. They are three-piece tickets with information such as arrival and departure stations and seats marked in both Chinese and Russian. We have been in close contact with the railway authorities in Xi'an, and have handled the round-trip ticket procedures from Horgos to Almaty in advance for passengers," said Jin Yize, duty officer of the passenger train division of Horgos Railway Station.
The return journey is scheduled to depart on June 5 and arrive in Xi'an on June 7, with each one-way trip taking about 57 hours.
The special train service is one of the key outcomes of the first China-Central Asia Summit held in Xi'an in 2023. This year is the China Tourism Year in Kazakhstan, and the second summit will be held in Kazakhstan.
First tourist train linking China's Xi'an, Kazakhstan's Almaty leaves China
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
