Started in 2011, the China-Europe freight train network now reaches 227 cities in 25 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian nations, according to data from the China State Railway Group.

Wilawan Kunlawong, a Thai student at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Northwestern Polytechnical University, developed an interest in the railway network while preparing her dissertation on trade between China and Thailand in early 2022. One segment of her academic tasks focused on the cargo trains.

Upon realizing that some of her relatives and friends were buying Chinese products like smartphones and electric cars, Wilawan enhanced her idea to explore the ways Chinese goods are exported, and the railway system underpinning this economic landscape.

On the recommendation of a friend, she contacted Xinfeng Railway Station, where Ma had been working since graduating in 2018 from the Xi'an Railway Vocational and Technical Institute.

Over four years, his dedication and expertise earned him multiple promotions, from being appointed deputy train driver in 2019, and later advancing to China-Europe freight train driver in 2021. Ma's firsthand experience and deep knowledge of trains made him the candidate to assist Wilawan, their meeting arranged by the station.

Born in Sakon Nakhon in northeastern Thailand in 2000, Wilawan developed a strong interest in learning Chinese when a Confucius Institute introduced a language course at her middle school.