Five years ago, Zhu Hao, the marketing general manager of Jiangxi Sanyou Furniture Co., Ltd., could hardly have imagined that 70% of the company’s foreign trade orders would come from the European market, which had not yet been developed at the time.
The change originated from a merchant inspection five years ago. At that time, staff from Ganzhou International Inland Port brought a Hungarian delegation to visit Sanyou Furniture, and the merchants tentatively placed an order worth 100,000 yuan. Recommended by the port staff, the company decided to try using the China-Europe Railway Express to transport this batch of furniture.
“It only took 20 days from loading the furniture to delivery in Hungary, saving more than half the time compared to sea freight,” said Zhu Hao. “The customer was very satisfied with the furniture, and we also tasted the benefits.”
Since then, the company has successively established stable cooperative relationships with European merchants from Hungary, Germany, Poland, and others. Last year, the value of European orders exceeded 7 million yuan, all transported via the China-Europe Railway Express.
“For the company, the China-Europe Railway Express is not just a railway line connecting Asia and Europe, but also a development line and an opportunity line,” said Zhu Hao.
Nankang District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, where Sanyou Furniture is located, is known as the “Capital of Chinese Solid Wood Furniture” and is one of China’s largest furniture manufacturing bases. Over 10,000 furniture manufacturing and supporting enterprises are distributed here, employing 500,000 people.
In the past, some companies’ European market orders mainly relied on sea freight, but the 45 to 60-day transport cycle often struggled to meet customer demands for timeliness. Some companies even directly gave up on developing the European market.
It wasn’t until November 24, 2015, when Jiangxi launched its first China-Europe freight train, that this situation gradually changed. Over the past decade, as the only open port in the old revolutionary base areas of China, Ganzhou International Inland Port has cumulatively operated over 1,700 China-Europe freight trains, building a large logistics channel radiating across Asia and Europe.
“Buying timber globally, selling furniture globally.” Here, relying on complete infrastructure and industrial clusters, more and more enterprises are sharing the opportunities of opening up, importing timber from over 50 countries and regions, and selling furniture to over 100 countries and regions.
“The China-Europe Railway Express has significantly shortened the transport time for European timber to just 12 days and reduced logistics costs by nearly 20%. This has not only significantly enhanced the competitiveness of local furniture enterprises but also allowed companies from surrounding provinces to share resources, forming cross-regional industrial collaboration,” said Ye Zhangnan, manager of the Ganzhou International Port Business Department of the Nanchang Railway Logistics Center.
The China-Europe Railway Express not only allows enterprises to enjoy export dividends but also enables “Silk Road fine products” to enter Chinese households more conveniently, enriching the consumption choices of millions of families.
At the China-Europe Railway Express Imported Goods (Bonded) Store located in Ganzhou West Station, many passengers stroll through the store, selecting their favorite products. Passenger Mr. Huang said, “I was attracted by the store’s signboard during the waiting interval. After coming in, I found that this toffee from the UK has very exquisite packaging, so I’m planning to buy some for the kids at home.”
Dai Na, the store manager, introduced that the products in the China-Europe Railway Express Imported Goods (Bonded) Store cover categories such as cosmetics, personal care, snacks, and beverages. In addition to the bonded store, experience exhibitions and sales are also conducted on some high-speed rail trains passing through Jiangxi, making it convenient for passengers to experience and purchase during their journey.
Walking into the Ganzhou International Inland Port Imported Goods Centralized Procurement Center, citizen Lu Yi is pushing a shopping cart to select goods. Living nearby, she often comes here to shop. “The things here are not only guaranteed authentic but also very affordable. This Italian grease cleaner is much cheaper than in other supermarkets,” she said.
“Consumers can place orders through offline stores or online mini-programs to enjoy the shopping experience of ‘buying globally without leaving the country’,” said Ji Weiting, general manager of Ganzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone Hui Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. The goods in the centralized procurement center come from over 70 countries and regions, covering thousands of items including daily necessities, electronics, and food, a large portion of which are transported back via the China-Europe Railway Express.
“In recent years, we have achieved direct connections with 6 border ports and interconnected with 5 world-class port clusters. Our foreign trade channels have become smoother, the level of foreign trade facilitation has significantly improved, and our ‘circle of friends’ is continuously expanding,” said Liu Liping, deputy director of the Operations Management Bureau of the Ganzhou International Inland Port Management Committee.
The “China-Europe Railway Express Development Report (2025)” shows that as of October 2025, the China-Europe Railway Express had cumulatively made 118,600 trips, transporting 11.7 million TEUs of goods, reaching 232 cities in 26 European countries. By the end of 2024, the cumulative value of goods transported by the China-Europe Railway Express had reached $426.4 billion.
This train shuttling across the Eurasian continent not only transports goods but also builds a bridge for deepening economic cooperation between central regions, old revolutionary base areas, and countries jointly building the “Belt and Road”. It injects growth momentum into many inland cities like Ganzhou, opening up a new Silk Road to the world.
