"China - the Middle Kingdom" a China Travel Page by mke1963

UPDATE JULY 8TH 2006: Latest destination added is the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Zhangjiajie/Wulingyuan.

China is one of the most diverse countries in the world, but it is a huge land area.
One of the most interesting ways to see the countryside and meet Chinese people is to travel by rail.
I live in Beijing and travel a lot in the country, and my boss and staff are tolerant of my desire to travel everywhere by rail.

However, the tips and reviews in this China section are not just about travelling by railway in China, but also general advice!

China is criss-crossed by a network of railways. Other than on Hainan island and in Tibet, you can get to or near most places by train. You can usually also get a direct train from Beijing, Shanghai and/or Xuzhou to most other large towns in the country at least once a day.
Although Chinese railways carry huge numbers of passengers every day, if you travel soft class (i.e. first class) you can avoid many of the most crowded situations, and with care and planing you can avoid getting into the big crowds.
Most big stations have a separate booking window for soft class, and a separate waiting room. You don't have to use them - so getting closer to the real Chinese travel experience - but I can sssure you that joining the Friday night rush for hard class seats at Beijing Xi is a stressful experience that can be quite frightening. Imagine 2,000 people blindly running with all their luggage sacks to get the 500 setas for a 32 hour journey. People can and do get knocked over!
Soft class arrangements are more calm and a bit more civilised than the rampaging hard class herd.
Also at many stations, if you pay for a porter to carry a bag or two, you get access to the platform before the masses, so again reducing the risk of a crush.

On the train, the soft class sleeper compartments have four berths (two upper and two lower - the upper berths are slightly cheaper but are more cramped). The compartment is carpeted, there is a flask of boiling hot water for tea and coffee, a heater, a small table, curtains, individual reading lights, and music (which can be switched off if you want). remarkably it also has a normal power socket for your PC or Walkman!
Trolleys come through the train selling drinks, nuts, sweets, pot noodles, hot food, toys, newspapers.
Soft class is non-smoking (enforced strictly) but smokers can use the doorway at the end of each carriageway.
Each compartment has one or two carriage attendants who are absolutely invariably kind, helpful, and a mine of information about your train and your journey.