Transport Special: Truck rally writes new chapter in silk road legend

Truck drivers in China are essential to a host of other people, including farmers, online shop owners and businesses that are dependent on road haulage.

Now they are also a catalyst to the nation's aspiration to establish a Silk Road Economic Belt.

In a symbolic truck rally that crossed the nation from its eastern coastal provinces to the westernmost Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, drivers from nine teams tested and honed their skills to show they are ready to act as "transport envoys" between China and central and western Asian countries.