Inthavong Hongphakdy, a student at Laodu Public School in Vientiane, Laos, recently took the China-Laos Railway on his way to Tianjin for this year's Chinese Bridge competition.

The trip first took him from the heart of the Lancang‑Mekong region to Kunming in Yunnan, where he caught a domestic train to Tianjin. Along the way, he reflected on the relationship between his home country and China and took in sweeping mountain and river landscapes.

Inthavong was heading to Tianjin for the global finals of the 19th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students. He used the journey to practice his Chinese and get to know China. He witnessed the friendship corridor forged by the China‑Laos Railway, Asian elephant conservation, the magnificent scenery of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, the convenience of high‑speed‑rail food‑delivery service, and bright prospects for future development.

The complete trip required multiple trains. First, Inthavong took the China-Laos Railway before hopping on a high-speed train from Kunming to Beijing. From there, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway brought him to his destination. The journey highlighted the role of rail connectivity and the Chinese Bridge competition in promoting exchanges between young people from China and Laos.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China‑Laos diplomatic relations, the China‑Laos Friendship Year, and the fifth anniversary of the official opening and operation of the China‑Laos Railway.