The train supermarket has launched a new one! How to Help Villagers Expand Sales with the "Truck Captain"

Recently, a video on the internet went viral, bringing the 5640/5639 train running through the mountains of Miaoling, Guizhou into public view. It has a total distance of 337 kilometers and a running time of about 7 and a half hours. It is the "vegetable selling train" for the villagers, and through it, the fruits, vegetables, and specialty mountain products that everyone is picking have found a market.

The main reason for its slow speed is that it always stops at every station. Compared to ordinary green trains, it has fewer carriages, starting at 6 yuan, and the shortest travel time between stations is only 10 minutes, connecting more than 100 ethnic minority villages.

Train conductor Hu Guichuan is commonly referred to as the "freight forwarder". In addition to checking tickets and serving passengers, he often arranges to help everyone sell goods, turning the train into a "green train supermarket" where many villagers can find sales without getting off the train.

"Stop ahead, six chickens!"

Trains connect over 100 villages

The train 5640/5639 runs between Guiyang and Yuping, passing through 14 stations of all sizes - Yangping, Qingxi, Jiaoxi, Zhenyuan, Shuihua, Shibing, Huangping, Baolaoshan, Jialao, Tongmuzhai, Kaili, Liugeji, Fuquan, and Guiding.

Hu Guichuan introduced that many stations are located in villages and belong to fifth class small stations. Due to their small scale, there are no ticket counters set up. Passengers can board the train first and then buy tickets, just like taking a bus by train.

In fact, for many villages along the way, this "slow train" at the doorstep is more convenient than a bus - without it, many villagers would need to walk for over an hour to the town to get on the bus, which is time-consuming and laborious.

Many local villagers rely on planting vegetables and raising rice and fish to support their families, and the 5640/5639 train has become their "vegetable selling train" as a result. Every day, everyone waits at the platform carrying vegetables, fruits, rice paddies, fish, etc. They take a bus to the city to sell, and the carriages are filled with the fresh taste of farm vegetables.

But at the beginning, due to farmers not understanding the market situation, either the pricing was too high for no one to purchase, or the selling price was too low to make much money. Due to their low income, they often cannot bear to buy a bowl of hot rice in the city and rely solely on carrying dry food to satisfy their hunger.

Once, Hu Guichuan saw an aunt eating cold rice and pickled vegetables in the car. Upon closer examination, he found out that her vegetables had not sold much and had become stale and difficult to sell at a good price. He was deeply moved and said, "At that time, I was thinking about how to help them."

Hu Guichuan thus embarked on the path of "bringing goods".

△ Hu Guichuan helps villagers get on the bus

Being both a "salesman" and a "delivery person"

Train conductor creates a "train supermarket"

Hu Guichuan has been working on trains for 26 years. In recent years, whenever he takes a break, he shuttles back and forth between restaurants and farmers' markets, understanding where agricultural products can be sold at good prices, and then informing the villagers of the news.

△ Hu Guichuan inquired about the planting situation from villagers in the field

At first, he made a market price announcement board on the train to serve as a pricing reference for the villagers. During routine inspections on the car, he would also chat with everyone a few more words to understand their prices and suitable sales channels. He also uses his portable notebook to register which agricultural products have a relatively large quantity, and can contact merchants at any time to connect with sales channels.

Due to frequent door-to-door sales, Hu Guichuan gradually became familiar with many restaurant and farmhouse owners. In order to facilitate "selling", he established a group chat called "Green Skin Train Supermarket". Every time he stops at the station, he takes photos of everyone's fruits, vegetables and sends them to the group, making it easier for the shop owner to make purchases.

Sometimes, not long after the villager gets on the train, his agricultural products have already been ordered. Customers include passengers on the train as well as bosses in the city.

Zhang Hua is one of the regular customers of "Green Skin Train Supermarket". He, who runs a restaurant near Guiyang Station, once got on the train and experienced it. Seeing the fresh vegetables of the villagers and realizing the difficulties faced by the farmers, he immediately made up his mind to contribute to this train. He often rounds up the vegetables of the villagers and never bargain, saying, "They are not easy, I can help as much as I can.".

△ Zhang Hua purchases at "Green Skin Train Supermarket"

Every time, Zhang Hua only needs to wait at the entrance of the train station, and the "delivery man" Hu Guichuan will bring the vegetables and fruits he has purchased - after the products are ordered online, many farmers will choose to get off the car early and entrust their vegetables to the train conductor. Some villagers, after connecting with buyers through Hu Guichuan, do not even need to take the train and only need to deliver fruits and vegetables on the train.

Although it has increased his workload, Hu Guichuan is never tired of his job as a "delivery man": "The main purpose is to facilitate everyone. I am very happy to hear that the villagers have income."

In this way, the "slow train" came and went deep in the Miaoling Mountains, making the villagers along the way bulge their wallets and smile more.

The environment of the train is getting better and better

The scenery along the way is becoming increasingly beautiful

For 26 years, Hu Guichuan's attitude towards serving passengers has not changed, but the trains he is on duty on, 5640/5639, have been constantly changing.

A few years ago, trains underwent updates and upgrades. Not only did the carriage environment look completely new, but also the air conditioning was added. Winter became a "frozen train", and summer became a "train" completely becoming history. More than 70 staff members from 6 groups of trains have become "delivery drivers", helping fellow villagers explore sales channels in their leisure time.

"It's not slow, but willing to wait. The train is willing to slow down, which is also a kind of development." Seeing the more and more goods and diverse types of goods being loaded by the villagers in the carriage, Hu Guichuan deeply felt "everyone's spirit has changed, and their confidence is full.". For the convenience of the villagers, Hu Guichuan and his colleagues are planning to adjust the seat positions to make more space for everyone to put vegetables and fruits.

The scenery outside the car window is also changing, and unconsciously, most of the wooden houses along the way have become small western-style buildings. During holidays, there are also more students on the bus. Many children rely on knowledge to leave the mountains, and then bring more knowledge back to the mountains, injecting young energy into rural revitalization.

Across the country, there are over 80 pairs of public welfare "slow trains" like this, which mostly pass through remote areas and generally have low ticket prices. If high-speed rail and high-speed trains are the main arteries of transportation, then "slow trains" are like capillaries, small yet essential. They are full of people's livelihoods and hope, and together they keep up with this rapidly developing era.

Producer | Li Zhe

Editor in Chief | Ma Wenjia

CCTV reporter | Shi Chaojie, Li Juan

Editor | Li Juan