Farmers' Special Bus Line: Connecting hearts, bringing closeness

BEIJING, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on China's policies to benefit farmers:

When a celebrity goes grocery shopping disguised as an ordinary citizen and is recognized, it is normally just another trivial entertainment news story. Yet recently, when Wu Kequn (Kenji Wu), a singer from Taiwan, China, quietly visited a vegetable stall in Guiyang, and was warmly welcomed by local farmer-vendors as if he were one of their own children coming home, it became one of the most heartwarming viral sensations in China.

As it turns out, the farmers whom Wu visited benefit greatly from Guiyang Bus Line 252, the "farmers' welfare special."

Line 252 was originally an ordinary urban-rural bus line, shuttling through multiple villages and towns. Every morning, farmers travel to the city to sell their produce, an important way for them to earn extra income and support their families. In the past, however, they had to leave before dawn, sometimes walking an hour or two in the dark just to reach the bus stop — either that, or pay dozens of yuan for a minivan ride, a cost they could barely afford but had little choice but to bear.

While these struggles weighed on farmers, the morning rush hour also brought its own problems: passengers and bulky goods crammed together, vegetable baskets blocking the aisles, affecting the ride experience while posing risks to bus operations.

To resolve these issues and better serve farmers traveling to the city, local government authorities and bus companies conducted multiple field surveys, including six on-site "village meetings" alone where both the bus crew and farmers took part.

In June 2024, the Line 252 "farmers' welfare special" was officially launched. The route was extended (to areas closer to farmers' homes), and the first departure was moved up to 6:10 a.m. Buses were also specially refitted with multi-layered removable racks to better accommodate farmers' baskets. The original 35 regular stops were reduced to just five key stops where farmers gather. With these changes, farmers can now catch the bus near their homes, reach the city in just over 40 minutes, with a maximum one-way fare of just 7 yuan.

In the video Wu Kequn filmed, villagers are already waiting at the bus stop at 5:30 a.m., carrying baskets of fresh vegetables still covered in soil. At 6:00 a.m., the farmers' special bus arrives ahead of schedule. The farmers help one another load the vegetables aboard and arrange them with ease. Inside the bus, warm lights shine on the face of every farmer, reflecting the vigor of life and the warmth of the city.

Today, Guiyang has launched 40 similar farmer-friendly bus lines, connecting nearly 30 towns. Farmers taking Line 252 also now have a dedicated sales spot — the "roadside farmer support station" along the route. Beyond filming these genuine policies adopted by the Chinese mainland to support farmers and sharing the warmth with people of Taiwan, Wu Kequn also leveraged his celebrity influence to invite dozens of public-spirited enterprises and hold a "vegetable auction", helping farmers sell 15,000 kilograms of fresh produce.

The bus of warmth, loaded with vegetables, embodies the kindness and love of the whole society while carrying ordinary people's aspirations for a better life. It has therefore touched hearts and resonated with people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

One bus line links urban and rural areas, binds people's hearts, and bridges distances through care. There is no more touching power than this.

Farmers' Special Bus Line: Connecting hearts, bringing closeness
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2026-04/10/content_118429065.shtml 
China Mosaic 
http://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/

SOURCE China.org.cn