At about 6:30 am on January 8, 2023, a large number of passengers take the subway at the reopened Lok Ma Chau Station in Hong Kong to enter Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: VCG

Chinese border ports witnessed an influx of travelers on Sunday, the first day the country downgraded its COVID-19 management and reopened its borders after three years of global pandemic.  

Global Times reporters have visited some of the ports, from the northern land port connecting China and Mongolia to the southern Chinese land port bordering Vietnam, to bear witness and capture the meaningful moments in words and photos.

From long-awaited, emotional, cross-border reunions among people, as well as long queues of trucks ferrying goods, these moments herald the hope of business recovery and prosperity.

In Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the Hekou Port on the China-Vietnam border saw the first group of cross-border workers and vendors on early Sunday morning.

Chinese customs officers prepared welcome gifts for the first batch of arrivals from Vietnam while Chinese residents hailed the reopening along the street. 

The Hekou Port is the largest port in the Yunnan section of the China-Vietnam border. The inbound and outbound passengers averaged 124,000 visits per day before the pandemic. The first batch of merchants from Vietnam said they are full of anticipation and hope.

Ruili Port, also in Yunnan Province, the largest land port on the China-Myanmar border, announced the full border reopening on Sunday, media reported.

On the same day, Mongolian passengers entered China at Erenhot port, the largest China-Mongolia land port. Employees at the port told the Global Times that the number of travelers is expected to keep increasing in the coming weeks.

In Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, the first batch of visitors arrived from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to Shenzhen via Shenzhen's Futian port as early as 6:30 am on Sunday, the first day of the reopening of the mainland-Hong Kong crossing points. Staff at Wenjindu port in Shenzhen prepared about 600 roses, cards with well wishes, and anti-epidemic kits such as masks and disinfectant to welcome inbound visitors from Hong Kong as gifts.

At the Beijing Capital International Airport, staffers braced themselves for the expected hustle and bustle on Sunday, embracing the first day China downgraded its COVID-19 measures from a Class A infectious disease to Class B. 

Global Times reporters saw airport staff getting ready to welcome the first inbound overseas flight carrying 291 passengers from Hong Kong. 

According to an announcement by the National Immigration Administration, the 24/144-hour visa-free transit policy will resume at Beijing airport starting Sunday, with five special windows being set up at the border inspection point at the T3-E terminal at the airport accepting applications for temporary entry permits.

Passengers arrive at the Erenhot port in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the largest China-Mongolia land port, on January 8, 2023. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Chinese residents celebrate the resumption of cross-border traffic on the bridge linking China and Vietnam in Hekou Port, Southwest China's Yunnan Province on January 8, 2023. Photo: Hu Yuwei/GT

A man waves a banner saying "Welcome back to China" to meet a passenger who just arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport on January 8, 2023. Photo: Li Hao/GT

An airport employee guides an arriving passenger to complete online declaration at the Beijing Capital International Airport on January 8, 2023. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A man holds a banner that says "Welcome home" at the Terminal 2 international arrival in the Pudong International Airport on January 8, 2023. Photo: IC

A child from Hong Kong waves to the camera when he arrives at the Futian port in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on January 8, 2023. Photo: VCG