BEIJING: The “Train Market” in Baihe town, Pingbian Miao autonomous county, Honghe prefecture, Southwest China’s Yunnan province, owes its origin to the century-old narrow-gauge Yunnan-Vietnam Railway.

Every Monday, villagers from surrounding areas carry baskets filled with local produce, poultry, and seasonal vegetables to set up stalls along both sides of the tracks at Baiheqiao Railway Station. When a train passes, vendors pause their trade and resume business once it has departed.

Over more than a century, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway has undergone several transformations. While it is no longer a major transport artery, freight services on the Kaiyuan-Hekou section remain in operation, with one or two cargo trains passing Baiheqiao Station almost daily.

The market owes its origin to the century-old narrow-gauge Yunnan-Vietnam Railway

Located close to Baihe town, Baiheqiao Station has long served as natural gathering place for market activity along the railway. As residents gradually moved away from the line, the station came to be known as the “last train market”.

Visitors are no longer limited to nearby villagers. Tourists from across Yunnan and other provinces flock here, but only on Mondays can they witness the market in full swing. They come to experience the traces of history and to feel this “living industrial heritage”.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026