A resplendent train cuts a fine figure at platform two of Chengdu West Railway Station. Its elegant exterior, unlike the other austere carriages trackside, features striking hues of celadon blue and red, and hand-painted gilded lettering. This is the Silk Road Express, one of China’s first world-class luxury tourist trains, and I am about to board it for its new three-day return route to Yunnan.

Conceived by the Shanghai-based Fosun Infrastructure Group, the train is China’s reply to the luxury rail renaissance, marking the country’s entry into a travel category long defined by European stalwarts such as Belmond and the Orient Express.

Though the nation boasts the world’s largest high-speed rail network, conventional railway lines remain twice as long, presenting a sizeable opportunity for slow train travel to take off among domestic travellers.

The Silk Road Express’ maiden voyage in July 2024 ran from Xining to Dunhuang, two gateway cities along the ancient Silk Road that have borne witness to the rich exchange of goods, techniques and ideas. It is a route that remains popular, but its operator, Train of Glamour – still in its growth phase, with a new train in the works – has been exploring uncharted destinations, like this expedition towards southwestern China.

A road more travelled by

Soliman Ma, executive president of the Silk Road Express, explains that the route is actually part of the Southern Silk Road – a 2,000km (1,240-mile) trade network linking China with Myanmar, India and Bangladesh.