Passengers enter the Vientiane Station of the China-Laos Railway in Vientiane, Laos, on Dec 2. KAIKEO SAIYASANE/XINHUA
Editor's note: Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. China Daily will come out with a series of stories highlighting Chinese cities' special connections with sister cities, mutual understanding, trust and friendship between peoples of different countries and cultural backgrounds, and shining light on "city diplomacy".
A very special dish in a restaurant in Kunming has those who love good food licking their chops as they wait to be served. When the food arrives, the very sight of the crushed lemon grass that envelops minced pork, as well as the aroma that accompanies it, provides a foretaste of what's to come.
Everything has been grilled over charcoal and is served with a special sweet, spicy sauce all the way from Laos, about 500 kilometers away. The taste sensation begins with the delicate texture of the roasted pork, enhanced by the rich, savory sauce, followed by the citrus aroma of the lemon grass.
"Lemon grass is commonly grown in Kunming, but people here had never encountered this unique way of presenting it," said Fan Junfeng, founder of the restaurant, Sabaidee Lao Kitchen, in Kunming Old Street in the Yunnan capital.
This delicacy, the lemon grass chieftain skewers, was once a hidden recipe in the villages of Laos but has now become a part of Kunming restaurant fare.
However, there is a lot more to the relationship between the city and Laos than lemon grass skewers, thanks in part to the China-Laos Railway that opened three years ago.
Fan, 31, is one of 43 million passengers who have benefited from the high-speed link, allowing travel from Kunming to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, in 10 hours, and allowing him to explore local markets, night bazaars and, of course, the local restaurant fare.
For Teng Hailin, the general dealer of Beerlao in China, the railway has solved major issues with cross-border logistics. Before the railway opened, Beerlao's products being transported from Vientiane to the border needed at least four days to make the journey, she said.
"During the rainy season, the roads in mountainous Laos would be muddy, and beer bottles were often damaged. Sometimes. The trucks even overturned. In heavy rain, we generally lost 30 to 40 percent of the cargo.
"Now, with the railway, we can transport goods directly from Vientiane to Kunming and then distribute them to supermarkets in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou."
Just as those Lao lemon grass skewers have become de rigueur in Kunming, Lao coffee, hot pot and beer have also become a regular part of the city's dining scene. In fact, enjoying rice noodles in Kunming in the morning and sipping coffee in Vientiane in the afternoon has become a lifestyle for some thanks to the railway link, underlying the growing friendship between the two cities, which established a twin-cities relationship in 2011.
Despite the geographical proximity between the two cities, a mere 820 kilometers apart, the towering mountains and rugged terrain have long hindered communication between them. For thousands of years, these mountains only bore the footprints of wild elephants and the occasional caravan of horses carrying goods.
Friendly exchanges
Five years after the sister-cities ties were established, work on building the China-Laos Railway began, and since it opened in 2021, its trains — with a green livery that symbolizes nature and hope — have flourished, promoting friendly exchanges and deepening the long-standing friendship between Laos and Yunnan. When a railway station was being built in 2019 near the home of Khamphilom Vannaphone, a young woman in Vientiane, one of eight stations on the railway line, her parents' thoughts turned to China when they pondered the career prospects of her and her siblings. Eventually, she enrolled to study tourism management at Kunming University and her siblings enrolled to study international economics and trade at Yunnan Normal University in Kunming.
Now, Vannaphone, 33, is not only living in Kunming but has become a veritable cultural ambassador, promoting ties between the two cities and between Laos and China.
When the China-Laos Railway officially opened on Dec 3, 2021, Vannaphone filmed a video of the trip and posted it on the internet, sparking a wave of interest in traveling to China by train.
"The video got 1.08 million views, and don't forget that the population of Laos is less than 8 million," Vannaphone said. "I got a lot of comments from Laos and Thailand."
Vannaphone has become a full-fledged travel vlogger and has used her video skills to tell the world about the beauty of Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Xishan Mountain and Yunnan food.
Attendants on the first train of the China-Laos Railway departing from Kunming display the railway map on Dec 3, 2021. WU XIAOHUI/CHINA DAILY
Cross-border tourism
Cross-border tourism produced by the railway has created many jobs in Laos, she said, adding flourishing business for hotels, restaurants and travel agencies has given a significant boost to local tourism and increased incomes for people.
"Experiencing the China-Laos Railway has become one of the most sought-after activities for Lao tourists," she said. "I hope to use my lens to help people from Laos understand China, and vice versa."
The similarities in the environments and cultures of Kunming and Vientiane add to the aura of their intimacy.
Since the China-Laos Railway's opening, the daily passenger traffic has risen from 20,000 to a peak of 100,000; the number of cross-border cargo trains running each day has risen from two to 18; and the number of countries and regions represented by inbound and outbound passengers has risen from just over 20 to more than 100.
Saonakhone Thongmixay, director of Chinese-language studies at the National University of Laos in Vientiane, said that in Laos the demand for those with Chinese-speaking skills has surged in recent years. The Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos has supported schools offering Chinese-language courses where possible.
In 2021, when the railway opened, the university had 60 students in its Chinese-language program — out of 2,953 applicants. The Chinese language has become the most popular subject among students registering for the university's bachelor's degree entrance exams, Thongmixay said.
Inthavong Phaphonepheng, 23, a Lao student at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College, said, "The average monthly income in Laos is $100 to $150, but if you speak Chinese your income can double."
The number of Lao students studying in Kunming continues to grow. Vannaphone said this year alone she helped more than 10 Lao students enroll at Kunming University and helped more than 30 Chinese students studying at the National University of Laos.
Yunnan is the destination of choice for young people in Laos who wish to study in China, said Tang Zhiying, deputy of the International School at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming. Among full-time international students, Lao students account for a significant number and are one of the largest source countries.
Lao students tend to pursue international economics and trade, tourism management, and journalism and media, Tang said. After graduating, they generally work in industries related to China-Laos trade, tourism and education.
Huang Muxia, associate professor and Lao-language director in the School of Foreign Languages at Yunnan Minzu University, said: "With closer ties between the two countries, students' enthusiasm for learning the Lao language has increased. The employment rate for Lao-related jobs is high, and many Chinese graduates choose to develop their careers in Laos. The geographical advantage makes it natural for Yunnan to offer this undergraduate program."
Mandarin interest
Yunnan Minzu University was one of the first tertiary institutions in China to establish a Lao language and literature program, in 2003.
When Huang graduated in 2002, the Lao language was still a niche subject. Now 10 public universities in China offer Lao-language programs, training nearly 200 students a year. Six of these universities are in Yunnan, with three of them in Kunming.
Anouphab Tounalom, party secretary of Vientiane and president of the Vientiane People's Council, said education and language learning are becoming increasingly important in promoting economic, trade and tourism collaboration, as well as in deepening the friendship between the sister cities, he said.
Chinese-language training should not only benefit Lao government workers but also reach more young people in Laos, he said.
"We encourage more Lao people to learn Chinese and seize opportunities to pursue higher education in China. Language and education are the bridges that bring our two cities closer as good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners."
The Mayor of Kunming, Liu Jiachen, said, "Kunming has historically been an open and inclusive city, as well as an important transportation hub connecting both domestic and international regions."
Kunming aims to work with all sides to promote friendship, deal with cross-border transportation problems and develop a multinational transportation network along with the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.
Last month, Kunming and Vientiane set up a 10-city alliance that aims to improve the international competitiveness of cities and provinces along the China-Laos Railway through better regional transportation connectivity and logistics.
"With the China-Laos Railway City Alliance and international sister-city exchanges as a basis, Kunming is committed to deepening collaboration in trade, cultural exchange, tourism, education and health, advancing sister-city partnerships," Liu said.
