Sandaoling is in the far north-west of China, near the city of Hami in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The whole country operates on Beijing time, which means that the sun rises very late in winter. Although it was after nine o'clock in the morning, the light was still golden as JS 8368 got underway from Xibolizhan with an empty spoil train on 12 November 2005.