The Kowloon-Canton Railway, a century-old railway linking Hong Kong's Kowloon and the Chinese mainland's Guangdong Province has witnessed fundamental changes in the region, especially within the past three decades.

After the Kowloon-Canton Railway project was completed in August 1911, the through-train between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, began operations in October the same year.

The rail service had been stopped in October 1949 and then restarted in April 1979.

During the first few years after the through-train service resumed, nearly all the passengers were Hong Kong residents and foreigners. Citizens from Hong Kong always had large pieces of luggage full of food and clothing, which they were taking to their relatives on the mainland.

Before China's reform and opening-up policy was implemented in 1978, Luohu Port was the only border pass linking Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

A man surnamed Li, who had worked there as a frontier inspection officer, recalled that he had seen so many different items in those heavy suitcases, including cooking oil, biscuits, peanuts, stockings and soap, which were all rationed on the mainland at that time.

A woman surnamed Guo has similar memories.

"In the early 1970s, my aunt sent us food and other necessities by mail," she said. "However, we couldn't afford the import duty on those mailed articles, so we asked her not to send them by post any more."

After the railway resumed in 1978, "my aunt always went back to Guangzhou with several bags of clothing as gifts for the relatives," Guo said. "Some were new, and some were old. One day, she sent a new nightgown to my daughter, but it was so luxurious that she could wear such brand new clothes only at night. So I modified it into a dress for her, which immediately became the most beautiful piece in my daughter's wardrobe."

As for people from the mainland, only few who had relatives living in Hong Kong were permitted to enter the international metropolis in the 1980s. One there, their favorite activity was shopping for cheap clothes.

Since Hong Kong started permitting the entry of all mainland residents in July 2003, luxury brands have become the main items that attract mainland visitors.

But most Guangdong locals will not buy many branded goods at one time, because it is very convenient for them to travel to and from Hong Kong. They prefer frequent visits rather than one-time shopping sprees.

Guo says everything has now changed, and people who live in Guangdong are rich. They can travel to Hong Kong at will. They have enough money to treat their relatives or friends from Hong Kong, and send them "hong bao"- red packets or envelopes that contain money inside- or a local specialty.

Nowadays, because of the short distance between the two regions, it is hard to tell who on the through-train is from Hong Kong and who is from Guangdong based on their clothing styles alone.

(CRIENGLISH.com September 20, 2009)