I recall the first time I was in Putian Station in the capital of Henan province, the point of origin for the Zhengzhou-Europe International Block Train.

It was in 2013 and I felt lucky to witness the first train from here to Europe. For me, the scene remains clear: local officials and representatives of the foreign enterprises gathered together for the exciting moment when the train would get under way, connecting China with Europe. I spent a lot of time researching the line: it took 18 days to make the 10,214-kilometer trip at that time; the route reached Germany via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland.

The train undergoes several changes along the way. It first needs a transfer to the Russian-style broad gauge line at the Kazakhstan-China border at Alashankou, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Then there's a second transfer to standard gauge at the Polish-Belarusian border.