A train attendant checks tickets on the train from Jilin to Tumen in Northeast China's Jilin province. [Photo by Qu Xiaoxi for chinadaily.com.cn]

"During every spring and autumn, there will be a large number of passengers on the train going to the mountainous areas to pick mushrooms, wild vegetables and fruit," said a train attendant. "The train's daily passenger volume can reach 600 in these two seasons."

For Tian Changshen, a 56-year-old farmer in Xiaogujia village, the period in the winter just before the Spring Festival is the busiest time around the whole year.

Tian's handmade doubao has become highly popular in nearby city markets.