Zhangjiakou in North China's Hebei province is becoming part of a comprehensive international trade corridor following the opening of a railway route to Europe and Central Asia.

A freight train loaded with barley from Kazakhstan arrived in Zhangjiakou's Xiahuayuan district on Dec 13 after a journey that passed through the Horgos railway port in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

It was the first freight train from overseas to arrive in Zhangjiakou since the launch of the China-Europe (Central Asia) route at the end of August, and took 10 days to travel more than 4,000 kilometers.

Its cargo, 50 containers of imported barley, weighed about 1,391 metric tons and was worth more than 3 million yuan ($423,200), the city government said.

It said the train's arrival signified the official opening of the Zhangjiakou section of the China-Europe (Central Asia) route in both directions, enabling two-way trade and establishing an important foundation for the development of Zhangjiakou as a multimodal transportation and logistics hub.

It also marked a significant step forward in constructing a comprehensive international trade corridor in Zhangjiakou, enhancing its level of openness and expanding the logistics network around Beijing.

The imported barley on the train originated from the main grain-producing region of Kazakhstan, characterized by high latitude, significant temperature differences between day and night, and fertile land.

With crops maturing once a year, the grains produced in the region have a high protein content and are less prone to pests and diseases, an import company in Yuxian county, Zhangjiakou, said.

Hegusheng Grain Co manager Hang Yousheng told the hebei.com.cn news portal, "After this order, we aim to explore larger international trade markets and complete one order every month."

Zhangjiakou, located at the junction of Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is an important node connecting the area to northwestern parts of the country and now boasts routes to countries and regions such as Russia, Mongolia, Central Asia and Europe.

The "Jingzhang" China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains export Chinese goods, including automobiles, auto parts and winter sports equipment, and import grains, cotton yarn, meat products and aluminum ingots from Eurasian countries.

The name of the trains combines characters representing the cities of Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

The first China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train to depart from Zhangjiakou left the freight railway station in Xiahuayuan district on Aug 29, carrying 59 containers with 1,322 tons of cargo.

As the China-Europe freight train network continues to expand, more cities in Hebei, including Shijiazhuang, Handan, Langfang and Zhangjiakou, are joining the cross-border railway transportation system.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn