Where borders become bridges

Before my visit to Erenhot, the word "national border" evoked images of strict divisions and formidable barriers. But after stepping into this border city on China's northern frontier, that familiar image began to dissolve.

Trade and economic cooperation zones along the sprawling border between China and Mongolia have transformed Erenhot into a vibrant channel of commerce, and a living connection between communities.

Erenhot is China's largest land port to Mongolia, and its most iconic landmark — the National Gate scenic area — straddles railways linking the two countries.

Every day, around a dozen trains rumble beneath the gate, carrying freight between China and Europe and passengers between China and Mongolia.

A short drive away lies the Erenhot Border Residents' Mutual Trade Zone, the first of its kind along the China-Mongolia border. Since opening in 2017, it has become a means for locals to improve their livelihoods.

Registered residents on both sides of the border can trade duty-free, with a daily allowance of up to 8,000 yuan ($1,176) per person — a policy that has turned the border into a gateway to prosperity.

Official figures demonstrate the impact. In 2025, the total trade volume reached 800 million yuan, generating over 6 million yuan in additional income for local residents.

While the border trade zone boosts small-scale commerce, the China-Mongolia Erenhot-Zamyn-Uud Economic Cooperation Zone, established in 2024, aims to take it a step further. Spanning roughly 9 square kilometers on each side of the border, the zone focuses on international trade, cross-border logistics, and more.

Erenhot is also making it easier for ordinary people to cross the border. Since November 2023, vehicles with eight seats or fewer have been allowed to cross into Erenhot, making it easier to drive between the two countries.

On the streets of Erenhot, Mongolian cars with distinctive black-on-white license plates are a common sight. Their passengers are often Mongolian merchants and citizens who have traveled specifically to shop. For them, Erenhot is not just a neighboring Chinese border city, but an affordable, well-stocked, and welcoming shopping destination.

This is most evident at Yiwu Commerce and Trade City and Wenzhou International Trade City Mall in Erenhot. Here, Cyrillic Mongolian emblazons nearly every shop sign — a small yet telling indicator of deeply interwoven communities.

Badrakh, a Mongolian tailor who has lived in Erenhot for three years, exemplifies this integration. "I can find everything I need in these markets. Shop owners even had buttons custom-made for traditional Mongolian robes I make. I've been working with these shop owners for three years now, and we've become like family," he said.

Badrakh's experience isn't an isolated case. Understanding and friendly exchanges break down language barriers in Erenhot's bustling markets.

Xu Yiwei, a fabric merchant at the Wenzhou International Trade City Mall, came to Erenhot a few years ago to take over the family fabric business.

Now the 37-year-old from Hangzhou has not only learned Mongolian for daily conversation but also become an expert in the patterns and colors favored by Mongolian customers.

His WeChat contact list is filled with Mongolian clients. Thanks to the rapid growth of cross-border logistics, many of them now order directly online.

Beyond business, Xu has built friendships with some of his customers — a few have even invited him to visit Mongolia.

Contact the writer at yangran1@chinadaily.com.cn