Although China has the world's largest high-speed rail network, less modern trains are still widely used in many parts of the country. Those journeys are slower. And with more time on board, officials have decided to allow nearby farmers to sell their fruit and vegetables on the trains, giving them access to more customers and passengers more dining options. CGTN's Guan Yang has the story. 

Around the China-DPRK border city of Dandong, remote villages are scattered across mountainous areas. For years, many villagers have been struggling to commute into urban areas, affecting their livelihoods. But slow trains running on a daily basis have now been turned into "carriage markets", helping those most in need.

GUAN YANG Fengcheng, Liaoning Province "Although today's high-speed trains race between cities across the country, slow and old-fashioned trains are still in service in some poverty-stricken areas. For people who live in remote areas, these trains are taking them to the same destination — a prosperous future."

Since last year, local railway authorities have devoted efforts to set up a rural market on these slow trains, allowing villagers to sell their livestock and other homegrown produce. 77-year-old Liu Ende is one of the train's regular passengers.

LIU ENDE Passenger "Without these trains, it would be impossible for us to bring farming produce to the nearby markets because of the poor transportation. It's such a convenience to sell our goods on the journey. Sometimes everything is sold even before the train stops."

For people like Liu Ende, slow trains mean far more than just transport. It's something they rely on to shake off poverty and embrace a better life.

The slow trains help them not only send goods to the market, but also children to schools and patients to hospitals.

LIU ENDE Passenger "The son of a disabled woman in our village did well during Gaokao. Soon the train will take him to the university, and his mother will earn extra money from selling goods on the train to better support her son's studies."

LI XIANGJUN Train Conductor "We've rolled out flexible regulations for passengers from remote areas who need to sell goods on board. Weight restrictions have been lifted, one special carriage for trade has been set up on each train and offers an information board to match supply with demand."

Nationwide, slow train services cover 35 ethnic minority-populated regions, transporting 12 million people annually at a cost of just one cent per kilometer. Making sure that on the journey to a well-off society, no one is left behind.