Rural students ride to 'new beginning'

The small platform at the Dayangshu town railway station was packed with excited teenagers at lunchtime on Tuesday. Some chatted with friends, others played on smartphones, while a few simply waited quietly for the train that would start the next chapter of their lives.

The 12:58 service to Alihe, a town 135 kilometers away on the border between the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Heilongjiang province, has been used each year since 2003 to transport students to the nearest test center for the national college entrance examination, known as the gaokao.

Red banners had been hung on the classic green-colored train, with slogans urging the students to "fight for their dreams", while the walls on the inside were decorated with pictures from previous years.