by Xinhua writers Lu Youyi, Hu Xu and Li Qianwei

CHENGDU, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- In the heart of Sichuan, an inland province in southwest China once synonymous with spicy hotpot, a new phrase -- "durian freedom" -- is catching on.

Not long ago, the spiky, pungent "king of fruits" was considered a luxury, often costing over 200 yuan (about 28 U.S. dollars) per kilogram. Today, thanks to a cold-chain corridor along the China-Laos Railway, it sells for around 44 yuan per kilogram in supermarkets in the provincial capital, Chengdu.

The journey begins in an orchard in eastern Thailand. There, freshly harvested Monthong durians are packed into refrigerated containers, transported by road into Laos, and loaded onto specialized cold-chain trains at Vientiane South Station.

Inside the rail cars, temperatures are held steady at around 13 degrees Celsius, with humidity monitors ensuring the fruit stays fresh. These are no ordinary carriages. They have been retrofitted with underflow ventilation and insulation to withstand tropical heat on the long, bumpy ride.

Clearing customs used to take days, but now the process runs in parallel, with documents pre-cleared while inspections are conducted swiftly at the border. At the Chengdu International Railway Port, where containers are unloaded amid a rich durian aroma, forklifts shuttle back and forth, moving the fruit to a dedicated distribution center.

"Before, durian felt like a luxury, and the quality was unpredictable," said a local customer surnamed Yang. "Now, buying it right at the port means it's both fresh and affordable."

Behind the cheaper price tag lies a sophisticated experiment in supply chain efficiency. By adopting a model combining direct procurement, dedicated shipment and port retail, Chengdu has cut the durian's travel time from tree to table to just three or four days.

According to Wang Hao, general manager of Sichuan Langhao Import & Export Group Co., Ltd., rail transport is about 70 percent faster than sea freight and nearly 50 percent cheaper than traditional road haulage.

Yet durian is more than just a fruit; it has become a catalyst for industrial transformation. The port is building an integrated system covering overseas sourcing, rail transport, cold-chain warehousing, wholesale and retail, as well as live-streamed e-commerce. Since launching durian imports this year, the port has recorded over 150 million yuan in trade value. A planned tropical fruit distribution center is currently under development.

The strategy mirrors the approach Chengdu adopted years earlier with the China-Europe freight train service -- first build the corridor, then attract industry and finally cultivate an ecosystem. Where trains from Laos once carried stone, chemicals and machinery, they now transport tropical fruit, transforming this transportation mode into a driver of consumer affordability.

Meanwhile, salmon is embarking on its own remarkable journey. Caught in the icy waters near the Arctic Circle, it can now reach a dinner plate in Chengdu -- a city far from the sea -- in as little as 36 hours. Airlifted from European hubs such as Brussels to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, the fish clears customs in under three hours through a dedicated green channel for perishable goods.

"More than 560 tonnes of salmon enter through Chengdu each month, over 90 percent of which is distributed across China," said Zhang Dongdong, project manager at the Western cold chain fresh food port under China Eastern Cold Chain, a second-tier subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines. According to him, Chengdu is not only a vibrant consumer market but a complete ecosystem of trade, air transport, processing and distribution.

The Norwegian Seafood Council has taken notice. "Chengdu is becoming one of the most important salmon markets in China," said Sigmund Bjorgo, the council's country director for China.

In the first half of 2025, China's salmon imports rose 39 percent year on year, making it Norway's third-largest seafood export market by August. With per capita consumption still at just 0.9 kilograms, the Chinese market remains far from saturated and is full of potential.

The imports of salmon have also sparked local culinary creativity. At a recent food promotion, Sichuan chefs rolled out innovations like "chili salmon rolls" and "strawberry salmon jelly," hinting at a future where "Sichuan-style salmon" becomes its own genre.

Sichuan is expanding its salmon industry chain to build a regional distribution hub, with eight culinary promotion bases and two processing centers now in operation. These facilities are producing value-added products like smoked and canned salmon, significantly boosting profitability, the provincial commerce department said.

Not to be overlooked is a third, more modest import -- tapioca. Sourced largely from Laos, the starch forms the chewy balls in China's wildly popular bubble tea. According to data, China's new-style tea beverage market hit over 350 billion yuan in 2024 and is projected to reach nearly 375 billion yuan in 2025.

"The China-Laos Railway has slashed shipping times and freed up capital for the tapioca trade, which previously relied on slower sea-river routes," said Zhu Qiurun, who works with the port and logistics office in Luzhou, Sichuan. Neijiang City, situated in the middle of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone, is also actively expanding its tapioca imports from Laos by leveraging the advantages of its bonded logistics center.

One local firm in Neijiang has already imported about 1,590 tonnes of tapioca this year and plans further expansion. For Lao suppliers like trader Thieng Somsat, the efficient rail link has opened a vital gateway, allowing them to tap into the vast potential of the Chinese market. "It has brought tangible benefits to our people," he said.

As tapioca is turned into starch balls and shipped to bubble tea shops, it completes a symbolic cycle, with a raw material from Southeast Asia refined in China and delivered to consumers through a seamless international supply chain.

In Chengdu, globalization is no longer an abstract idea. It now has a smell, a taste and a bite, and arrives faster, fresher and closer than anyone could have imagined. ■