Trains in China's far north bring ethnic minority cultures to life

(ECNS) -- The annual Eastward Migration Festival of China's Kirgiz ethnic group took to the rails this year, with celebrations held aboard the K980 train on Sunday as part of an initiative to preserve and promote ethnic minority cultures beyond traditional museum spaces.

The train, which operates year-round as a mobile exhibition of intangible cultural heritage, connects Qiqihar in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province with Xining in Qinghai Province.

Its carriages feature historical panels tracing the migration route of the Kirgiz people, along with displays devoted to the epic "Manas" and traditional ethnic costumes. The aroma of freshly baked Xinjiang-style naan bread also provides passengers with a sensory connection to centuries-old culinary traditions.

"The railway has made our ethnic history more visible, helped spread our culture and promoted our products," said Kirgiz elder Chang Cuirong. "We will no longer be forgotten."

The railway's cultural outreach appears to be resonating with travelers. This summer, passenger numbers on the K980 service rose 25% year on year, while the train hosted 208 students from six study tour groups. Authorities say the regular mobile classroom has helped bring ethnic minority history and culture beyond their traditional geographic boundaries.

A similar initiative operates aboard the slower Train 4136, which crosses the Sanjiang Plain from Tongjiang, a city in northeastern Heilongjiang that is home to the Hezhe ethnic minority. The service helps local communities earn a living from intangible cultural heritage crafts, with crew members also serving as interpreters of the traditional art of fish-skin craftsmanship, a nationally recognized form of cultural heritage.

"In the past, fish-skin paintings and clothing could only be sold locally, and the annual income was meager," said You Wenfeng, a national-level representative inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. "Now the railway has helped us expand our sales channels, and our lives are getting better and better."

Ha Da, deputy Party secretary of the Qiqihar passenger transport section under China Railway Harbin Group Co., Ltd., said the themed trains overcome the limitations of fixed exhibition halls. Their mobility, extensive reach and highly interactive nature, he added, help promote ethnic minority cultures and strengthen exchanges and integration among all ethnic groups.

(By Zhang Dongfang)