Haanism

Foreword: I've been writing quite tremendously lately, till I felt dizzy and overwhelmed when taking short rests. How I wish I'm similarly enthusiastic in my full time job. Am always thinking to save the completed posts as drafts, in order for the readers to properly digest each, before the new ones are published. But I can't. Just like if I have something to say, it's hard for me to keep and wait. Apologies for making you stuffed.


On 17 July 2007, I took a night train from Guangzhou (广州) to Nanchang (南昌) together with my travel mates, Feng and Wooi Yee.

That was my first experience with the train in China. Prior to that, I’ve heard a lot with regards to how unsafe are the trains, especially a night train. Therefore, we have to take extra care of our belongings.

The railway system in China is the backbone of the nation's internal transportation network. China's railway is always very busy. The trains and train stations are usually very crowded.


While we bought our tickets from the Ticket Booking Hall of the Guangzhou station, the serving officer’s attitude was not good (however, the people from Guangdong are generally not-so-polite). The tickets we intended to buy were not available, yet she showed us a truly impatient face while we pondered to decide the several alternatives she informed us, after a long queue.


There are ticket agencies that operate around the clock. There is a surcharge of $5 for each ticket sold. There are different types of train seats in China and the prices vary:

Soft Berth (软卧)

• private compartments in the soft sleeper carriages


• 4 bunks in each compartment (upper and lower * 2)


• comfortable bedding and good quality pillows


• a small reading lamp for each bunk

Hard Berth (硬卧)

• less comfortable than soft berth


• 6 bunks in each compartment (upper, middle and lower * 2)


• lower berth is the cheapest among three, followed by middle then upper


• basic blanket and pillow


• space tends to be cramp; noisy at times


• cost effective for an overnight train trip

Soft Seat (软座)

• no bunk for sleeping


• just a nice, comfortable cushioned seat


• carriage is clean and roomy


• priced a little higher than the hard berth


• not all trains have soft seat carriages

Hard Seat (硬座)

• the basic way to take a train trip at low price


• could be an ordeal, especially for a long/overnight journey


• seating is not upholstered


• carriages tend to be not very clean


• always noisy and crowded with people


• standing-room-only tickets are also sold





If you check online for the availability of train tickets, the price of each is clearly stated as follows:


According to my limited understanding, the alphabets have special meanings although I can’t actually figure out the differences between them:

Z - Through Train (直达特快)
T - High-speed Train (特快列车)
K - Express Train (快速列车)
N - Fast Train (管内快速)
L - Passenger Extra / Temporary Train (临客)


The Nanjing station looks much better and has more advanced facilities.

I took a total of 4 train trips in China during my three weeks there:

17/7/2007, Guangzhou to Nanchang, night train, hard seat, $155
24/7/2007, Huangshan to Nanjing, night train, hard seat, $54
28/7/2007, Nanjing to Suzhou, day train, soft seat, $50
30/7/2007, Suzhou to Shanghai, day train, bullet train, $25


Basically, the journey gets shorter over time, and we traveled on more comfortable train. We didn’t even know we were going to travel on a bullet train (和谐号) to Shanghai, till it stopped in front of us. No doubt, we were delighted!