A major China-Europe freight train route linking China's small commodity hub of Yiwu in Zhejiang Province and Madrid in Spain has become a pillar of cross-border transportation linking trading partners across thousands of kilometers.

The freight train route, known as the Yixinou freight train, has been praised by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, as an important bridge connecting Europe and Asia.

The train service from Yiwu to Madrid was officially launched in November 2014, spanning eight countries across Asia and Europe with a total length of more than 13,000 kilometers.

Feng Xubin, chairman of the freight train service operator Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., said the number of freight trains has increased significantly in less than 10 years.

"In terms of the number of trains, during 2013 to 2014, we could not deliver a train of goods even once a week, but now for imports and exports, our freight train services increased to over four trips every day on average," Feng said.

He also said the firm has received a steady stream of orders and has continuously expanded its market share and service routes.

"This row of printers is mainly used to print waybills and cargo lists every day. They all operate in turn. Sometimes, the cargo list of a container may be more than ten pages. Here we can see is a container to be shipped to Russia, as names of products printed in English and Russian suggest. This photo taken in 2013 showed that the Yiwu Port used to be a very small station. At that time, the station could only hold 26 containers. Now more than 1,000 40-foot containers can be placed at this railway port on a daily basis. Now, our services cover more than 160 cities in 50 countries and regions. The birth of Yixinou freight train came from the personal care of General Secretary Xi. While working in Zhejiang, General Secretary Xi brought us the opportunity to launch the freight train service," he explained.

Feng also said that thanks to expanding freight train services, imported goods that were once expensive are now affordable to ordinary people.

"Here are some goods shipped back through the Yixinou freight train. With its normal operation, foods, such as Spanish ham, which were considered a luxury ten years ago, have already entered the homes of ordinary people. Trade in the Yiwu market is a microcosm of China's private economy. General Secretary Xi said we must have grander strategic plans. Just like the Yiwu International Trade Reform, a big gift he brought us, his visit to Yiwu can help the business market continue to prosper and enrich Yiwu people's sense of gain and happiness," added Feng.

Xi inspected Zhejiang from Sept 20 to 21, urging the province to strive toward writing a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.