A chartered train carrying 744 senior travellers departed from Guangzhou's Baiyun Railway Station this week, marking the launch of the first dedicated elderly tourism service following China's National Tourism Day, which was hosted this year for the first time in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The Y122 service, themed "Northbound Journey Through Green Meadows," will cover more than 4,000 kilometres over 15 days, travelling from the Greater Bay Area to Mohe in Heilongjiang Province, China's northernmost county-level region, with stops including Shanhaiguan, Panjin, Harbin, Hailar, Manzhouli, Hulunbuir, Changbai Mountain, Shenyang, and Dandong.
Among the passengers were Liang Jinsen and his wife, Li Ruiling, from Foshan, who were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. By chance, they were assigned the berths numbered 13 and 14. In Mandarin, the two numbers sound like the phrase "for a lifetime," making the coincidence especially meaningful for the couple. "We found it quite amusing," Liang said.
The couple had travelled on a similar service operated by China Railway Guangzhou Group last year and decided to book again this time, bringing along friends.
Another passenger, Miao Xiufeng, travelled with her husband and her 88-year-old father-in-law. After seeing a video about the trip online, she asked her daughter to help sign them up.
This train marked the 34th tourism departure from Guangdong this year, operated by the railway group, whose travel arm has now served more than 13,000 senior travellers across routes covering 13 provinces and regions in the northeast and northwest. Unlike standard tour packages, the service follows a fixed-berth model that eliminates the need for luggage transfers, and includes an onboard medical team and a dedicated service crew available around the clock.
A separate service, the "Southern Train: Baiyun," is scheduled to launch in September. Billed as the country's first Chinese-style premium tourism train, it will have 18 carriages with 46 en-suite cabins, an upgraded dining car serving regional cuisines from Cantonese soups to Xinjiang flatbreads, and a smart in-room management system. The inaugural route will head west along the Silk Road into Xinjiang.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | Guangzhou Baiyun Fabu
