Twenty-eight years ago today, on May 18, 1997 (April 12, 1997 in the lunar calendar), the Beijing-Kowloon direct passenger train started running. At 7:30 on May 18, 1997, 97 direct passenger trains from Beijing to Kowloon departed from Beijing West Railway Station. Vice Premier Wu Bangguo attended the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon. In order to provide convenient railway transportation conditions for passengers entering and leaving Hong Kong, after full consultation between the Beijing and Shanghai Railway Bureaus and the Hong Kong Kowloon Railway Company, an agreement was reached on the operation of two direct passenger trains from Beijing to Kowloon and Shanghai to Kowloon. From May 18, there were 97 direct buses from Beijing West Railway Station to Kowloon the next day, passing through Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Xinyang, Wuchang, Changsha, Shaoguan, Guangzhou and other cities, and arriving at Kowloon Station at 13:10 the next day; 98 trains from Kowloon at 15:00 arrived at Beijing West Railway Station at 55:00 on the next day. From May 19, there were 99 direct buses from Shanghai Railway Station to Kowloon at 8:04, passing through Hangzhou, Yingtan, Zhuzhou, Guangzhou and other cities, arriving at Kowloon Station at 13:10 the next day; 100 trains from Kowloon at 15:00 arrived at Shanghai Station at 20:18 the next day. For these two buses from Beijing and Shanghai, the purchase of tickets to Kowloon requires the submission of valid documents such as passports, Hong Kong and Macao compatriots' return permits; tickets are priced in Hong Kong dollars and collected in RMB in the mainland. Passengers' entry and exit procedures are handled at Changping Port not far from Shenzhen.