More than 50 vibrant performances including song and dance, musical instruments, magic shows and acrobatics added a great deal of spice to the rail ride from Kunming of Southwest China's Yunnan province to Vientiane of Laos on Tuesday.

The four-hour-long gala elicited continuous applause and laughter from passengers.

The day marks the start of the Spring Festival travel rush, with a high influx of passengers on the China-Laos Railway. This surge is driven by Chinese nationals returning home, family short trips, and group tours from Southeast Asia.

To meet the travel demands of passengers, the railway authorities have made adequate arrangements for transport capacity, increased the number of passenger trains on the China-Laos Railway and offered service information in Chinese, Lao, and English for the convenience of travelers.

The gala was hosted by the publicity department and kicked off a series of Spring Festival cultural events to Laos and Thailand, which will last until Jan 18.