The longest trans-Eurasia train is now on its way to the Spanish capital Madrid from east China's Yiwu in Zhejiang.

The train will travel 21 days and pass through 8 countries, finally reaching Madrid just in time for Christmas.

The railway is the sixth trans-continental line linking China and Europe, and the longest one end-to-end.

Yiwu is renowned for its small commodities trade and is dubbed as the goods capital of the "world factory".

Businesses in Yiwu, also a gateway to Zhejiang's numerous small factories, applaud the new train service, saying it is much faster than sea freight and significantly cheaper than air freight.