Travelling by train in China

China has one of the biggest and busiest rail networks in the world, and trains link almost every town and city. The best Chinese trains are safe, modern and comfortable. This page will help you plan and book train travel in China.

How to buy tickets...

How to buy tickets - at the station...
You can buy tickets yourself at the station reservation office, remember to take your passport with you. In big cities such as Beijing or Shanghai you should use the special reservations office for foreigners. Reservations for the best Z-category express trains open 20 days before departure, reservations for most other trains open up to 10 days before departure, assuming the train you want starts its journey at that station. If the train you want starts its journey somewhere else and calls at your boarding station already well into its journey, tickets may only be available 2 days before departure. The rules vary by city..! You can generally only book a train journey at the station where your journey starts, so (for example) the reservations office at Shanghai can sell you a Shanghai-Beijing ticket but not a Beijing-Xian ticket. Berths are best booked at least 2-3 days in advance, apart from peak periods (the Spring Festival, May Day 1st May, National Day 1st October) when they should be booked as soon as reservations open.

In Beijing, you can buy tickets at Beijing Main station (metro Bejingzhan), or Beijing West station (called Beijing Xi or Xizhan, metro Junshibowuguan). At Beijing Main station, the ticketing office for foreigners is on the north west corner of the 1st floor, accessed via the soft seat waiting room. It is open 05:30-07:30, 08:00-18:30, 19:00-23:00. At Beijing West station, the foreigners ticketing office is on the 2nd floor, open 24 hours. Alternatively, you can buy train tickets at BTG Travel & Tours, on Fwai Dajie between the New Otani and Gloria Plaza Hotels, open 08:00-20:00.

How to buy tickets - via www.chinatripadvisor.com or www.china-train-ticket.com
If you want to book a Chinese train in advance from outside China, you can do this with several agencies, including www.chinatripadvisor.com or www.china-train-ticket.com. Tickets cannot be posted abroad, but can be delivered to your hotel in China to be picked up when you get there. This will cost more than you'd pay at the ticket office, but if you really need to be on a particular train on a particular date, it can be worth booking ahead, especially at peak times, such as around the time of the the Spring Festival, 1st May, or 1st October. Fares are shown below. Both agencies are reputable, and chinatripadvisor has been recommended by at least one seat61 correspondent. If you have any feedback from using either of these agencies, please e-mail me.

How to buy tickets - ask your hotel
Alternatively, your hotel may be able to arrange tickets if you book accommodation with them, and this may be the cheapest way to arrange tickets in advance. Remember that reservations for the best Z-category express trains open 20 days in advance, but for most other trains bookings only open 5-10 days before departure. Even an agency cannot positively confirm your booking before reservations open and they buy your ticket..!

How to buy tickets - departures from Hong Kong
You can book departures from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai by email at no extra charge through KCRC (Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation) Customer Services. Visit their website at www.kcrc.com (the official website of the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation) for train times & fares for the Hong Kong to Shanghai and HK to Beijing trains. You will be given a reference number and can then pick up and pay for tickets at Hong Kong Kowloon (Hung Hom) station. Note that Hong Kong ticket office does not accept credit cards, only cash. However, there is an ATM just round the corner from the station.

China Beijing Travel Guide

China Beijing Travel Guide

Click here to find hotels in Beijing

Beijing ( Hanyu Pinyin: Beijing, Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Peking), is the capital city of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the 4 municipalities of the People's Republic of China, which have a provincial-level status. The municipality governs 10 districts and 8 counties.

Names
Beijing literally means "northern capital" (as opposed to Nanjing, meaning "southern capital" and Tonkin and Tokyo, both of which mean "eastern capital"). Beijing is sometimes referred to as Peking. The term originated with French missionaries four hundred years ago, and corresponds to an archaic pronunciation which does not take into account a 'k' to 'j' sound shift in Mandarin that occurred during the Qing dynasty.

In China, the city has had many names. Between 1928[1] and 1949, it was known as Beiping (?? Wade-Giles Peip'ing) or "Northern Peace". The name was changed because jing means "capital" and the Kuomintang government in Nanjing wanted to emphasize that Beijing was not the capital of China, and Beijing's warlord government was not legitimate. From 1937 to 1945, Beijing was occupied by the Japanese.

The name was changed back by the Communist Party of China in 1949 in part to emphasize that Beijing was the capital of China. The government of the Republic of China on Taiwan has not formally recognized the name change, and during the 1950s and 1960s it was common for Beijing to be called Peiping on Taiwan. Today, almost everyone in Taiwan, including the ROC government, uses the term Beijing, although there some maps of China from Taiwan still use the old name along with pre-1949 provincial boundaries.

The GDP per capita was ¥24077 (ca. US$2910) per capita, ranked no. 41 among all 659 Chinese cities.

Beijing History
The metropolitan area of Beijing has been settled in the first millennium BC and the capital of Kingdom Yan (?) was established there, and named it Ji (?). Ji has often been claimed as the beginning of Beijing; but in reality the city has been abandoned no later than the 6th century AD. The exact location of Ji remains unknown despite much effort in the recent decades to identify the site.
During the great Tang and Song dynasties, only townships existed in this area. Numerous ancient poets came here to mourn the lost city, as testified by their surviving compositions.

By the early 10th century, Kingdom Liao set up a "secondary capital" in the city proper, and called it Nanjing ("the Southern Capital").

The Jin Dynasty that annexed Liao and ruled northern China built its capital there, called Zhongdu (??), or "the Central Capital".

The Mongol force burned Zhongdu to the ground in 1215 AD and rebuilt its own "Grand Capital" (??) to the north of the Jin capital in 1267 AD, which is the true beginning of contemporary Beijing. Apparently, Kublai Khan, who wanted to become a Chinese emperor, established his capital in Beijing instead of more traditional sites in central China because Beijing is closer to his power base in Mongolia. The decision of the Khan greatly enhanced the status of the city that had been situated in the northern fringe of China proper.

In 1403 AD, the 3rd Ming emperor Zhu Li, who had just grabbed the throne by killing his brother after a bloody civil war and moved the capital from southern China to his own power base in the north, renamed the city Beijing (??), or "Northern Capital".

The Forbidden City was constructed soon after that (1406-1420 AD), followed by Temple to the Heaven (1420 AD), and numerous other construction projects. Tian-An-Men, which has become a state symbol of the PRC in modern time, was burned down twice during Ming Dynasty and the final reconstruction was carried out in 1651 AD

Beijing Tourism
Famous landmarks around Beijing include:

Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square, site of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1919, 1975, 1989
The Great Wall
The Temple of Heaven
The Summer Palace
Ruins of the Old Summer Palace
Gulou - The Drum Tower
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (World Heritage Site)

Famous Theatres of Beijing include:
Zheng Yici Peking Opera Theatre

Chinese Etiquette

Chinese Etiquette

Chinese courtesies have always been formal to follow strict rules, although sometimes Chinese people seem to be impolite according to Western norms in public places.

To well understand Chinese, some concepts should not be ignored:

Mianzi (Face)

The idea of shame, usually expressed as 'face' could be loosely defined as the 'status' or 'self-respect' in Chinese and by no means alien to foreigners. It is the worst thing for a Chinese to lose face. Never insult, embarrass, shame, yell at or otherwise demean a person. Since all these actions would risk putting a Chinese in a situation that he might lose face. Neither try to prove someone wrong nor shout at him in public. In order to get a successful effect without letting a Chinese lose face, any criticism should be delivered privately, discreetly and tactfully, or else, just opposite to what you wish.

Guanxi (Relationships between People)

Throughout much of Chinese history, the fundamental glue that has held society together is the concept of guanxi, relationships between people. It is very important for the Chinese to have good relationships. They often regard good social relations as a symbol of personal ability and influence. Someone who has no connections would be despised and is only half-Chinese.

Keqi

Keqi not only means considerate, polite, and well mannered, but also represents humbleness and modesty. It is impolite to be arrogant and brag about oneself or one's inner circle. The expression is most often used in the negative, as in buyao keqi, meaning "you shouldn't be so kind and polite to me," or "you're welcome."

Besides, Chinese seldom express what they think directly and they prefer a roundabout way. Neither show their emotions and feelings in public. They rarely greet people with a handshake, though it is very popular among foreigners, say nothing of embracing or kissing when greeting or saying good-bye. Consequently, it is better not to behave too carefree in public, even though you are well-intentioned. Also, it is advisable to be fairly cautious in political discussions. Do not particularly push yourself forward, or else you are unwelcome.

To sum up, do in Rome as Rome does, but you need not worry about these cultural barriers since most Chinese are hospitable and amiable and will not mind your nonproficiency.

How do Chinese address foreigners?

Answer: Officially, foreigners are addressed as Waibin (foreign guests or foreign friends) but privately, they are call as Lao Wai.

In China, it is a usual practice, also the most intimate and friendly way, to address people with the word "Lao" added before the family name. For example, people may kindly call Mr. Li as Lao Li. Not least, people also call those who come from Guangdong Province as "Lao Guang," and those from Jiangxi "Lao Biao".

Analogically, they call foreigner "Lao Wai". Pronounced somewhat like "law why", this address means "old foreigner". It is not intended to be aggressive or insulting. So when you hear people call you "Lao Wai", you should feel complemented since it seems that Chinese have treated you as their own fellows.

How should foreigners greet Chinese?

Answer: With the development of economy and culture, most ordinary people living in large cities can speak a little bit of English. So, a "hello" or "how do you do?" is acceptable to most of them. Also, it will be more interesting if you are able to greet them in Chinese. The typical Chinese greetings include nihao (hello) and jiandao ni hen gaoxing (nice to meet you).

Of course, as a kind of universal language that needs no translation, a smile or a wave will also elicit a friendly response.

On some occasions, shaking hands is a good means to greet Chinese people. However, when shaking hands with a Chinese woman, do not hold it too tightly - a light shake of the fingers will do the job.

In China, embrace is not a usual way to greet each other, except between family members and good friends. Kissing, whether on the cheeks or on hands, is unacceptable to the Chinese.

How do foreigners address Chinese people in business and social circumstances?

Answer: In both business and social environments, professional title is often used after the family name when address a people. For example, a people with the surname of Wang is addressed as:
Wang jingli (Manager Wang) when he is the manager of a company.
Wang zhuxi or Wang zongtong (President Wang) when he is the president of a country.
Wang buzhang (Minister Wang) when he is the minister of a department.
Wang zhuxi, or Wang huizhang (Chairman Wang) when he is the chairman of an organization.

What is Chinese people's reaction to compliments?

Answer: Chinese people are very modest and not accustomed to show their feelings in public. So, when they are praised or complimented, the customary response is "no, no!" For example, when you praise a Chinese for his excellent achievement in the work, he would say: "no, no, my work is so-so". When you applaud somebody for his cooking skills, the most possible reply is: "no, no, it is only suitable for filling the stomach."

"No, no" here does not mean that the Chinese think your compliments are wrong or improper. It is just an unpretentious reaction to your commendations. So, when you get such a response when praising a Chinese, do not be discouraged since your compliments have already been delivered successfully!

How do the Chinese say "no"?

Answer: Chinese people attach great importance to their "face". They do not like to lose face, neither risk letting others lose face. So they seldom say "no" or make negative comments directly. Instead of saying no, they often express their disagreement by means of a graceful excuse or a suggestion. For example when you invite someone to have the dinner with you, if he wants to refuse you he would say: "sorry, I have something to do" or "sorry, I have a date with someone." And also if one doesn't agree with your ideas, he would say: "I have another idea!"

China Brief Introduction

China, (People's Republic of China), is situated in eastern Asia, bounded by the Pacific in the east. It is the third largest country in the world, next to Canada and Russia, it has an area of 9.6 million square kilometres, or one-fifteenth of the world's land mass.

Towering mountains and dramatic landscapes make up China's wealth - background scenery to the fall of dynasties, the rise of emperors and the turning of the revolutionary wheel. Unless you have a couple of years to tour, it's best to follow a loose itinerary while visiting. Some suggestions would be; Beijing to Tibet via Xi'an's terracotta warriors, following the Silk Road route, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province.

China's imperial jewel in the crown is of course Beijing. It has been the capital of China for around 500 years and is home to sights such as the Forbidden City, the off-limits palace of Ming and Qing emperors, their eunuch servants, princesses and harems. The Summer Palace in Beijing was established in the late Qing period, but is also a major attraction. Beijing is the starting point for China's most famous imperial legacy - the Great Wall. The wall can easily be viewed from many places, but most visitors approach it from Beijing.

With a population of close to five million, Tibetans make up one 'of China's largest minorities. There are large Tibetan communities in parts of China, that once belonged to Tibet. In the south-western Gansu Province, the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is very much a little Tibet.

China's sacred mountains have been pilgrimage destinations for centuries and all have well marked trails to the summits. More often than not there are stairways carved into rock faces, and sights en route include poems and inscriptions and numerous temples. The chief attraction is, inevitably, sunrise at the summit, where camera toting crowds gather to gaze on the , sea of clouds'. The most popular mountains with foreign visitors are Huangshan, Taishan and Emeishan.

The Grand Buddha at Leshan (Sichuan Province) is the largest buddha in the world. At 71m high and carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting of the Dadu and Min rivers.

China's most famous collection of European architecture is lined up facing the sea on the Bund in Shanghai. Xiamen (Fujian Province) has one of China's most charming collections of colonial architecture, on Gulangyu Island. The fact that there are no motorised vehicles on the small island makes this one of the only places in the country where it is possible to take peaceful walks and appreciate the buildings at leisure.

China isn't a country - it's it's own world. From shop-till-you-drop metropolises to the epic grasslands of Inner Mongolia - with deserts, sacred peaks, astounding caves, and imperial ruins - it's a land of cultural and geographic schisms.

China Brief Introduction

China, (People's Republic of China), is situated in eastern Asia, bounded by the Pacific in the east. It is the third largest country in the world, next to Canada and Russia, it has an area of 9.6 million square kilometres, or one-fifteenth of the world's land mass.

Towering mountains and dramatic landscapes make up China's wealth - background scenery to the fall of dynasties, the rise of emperors and the turning of the revolutionary wheel. Unless you have a couple of years to tour, it's best to follow a loose itinerary while visiting. Some suggestions would be; Beijing to Tibet via Xi'an's terracotta warriors, following the Silk Road route, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province.

China's imperial jewel in the crown is of course Beijing. It has been the capital of China for around 500 years and is home to sights such as the Forbidden City, the off-limits palace of Ming and Qing emperors, their eunuch servants, princesses and harems. The Summer Palace in Beijing was established in the late Qing period, but is also a major attraction. Beijing is the starting point for China's most famous imperial legacy - the Great Wall. The wall can easily be viewed from many places, but most visitors approach it from Beijing.

With a population of close to five million, Tibetans make up one 'of China's largest minorities. There are large Tibetan communities in parts of China, that once belonged to Tibet. In the south-western Gansu Province, the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is very much a little Tibet.

China's sacred mountains have been pilgrimage destinations for centuries and all have well marked trails to the summits. More often than not there are stairways carved into rock faces, and sights en route include poems and inscriptions and numerous temples. The chief attraction is, inevitably, sunrise at the summit, where camera toting crowds gather to gaze on the , sea of clouds'. The most popular mountains with foreign visitors are Huangshan, Taishan and Emeishan.

The Grand Buddha at Leshan (Sichuan Province) is the largest buddha in the world. At 71m high and carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting of the Dadu and Min rivers.

China's most famous collection of European architecture is lined up facing the sea on the Bund in Shanghai. Xiamen (Fujian Province) has one of China's most charming collections of colonial architecture, on Gulangyu Island. The fact that there are no motorised vehicles on the small island makes this one of the only places in the country where it is possible to take peaceful walks and appreciate the buildings at leisure.

China isn't a country - it's it's own world. From shop-till-you-drop metropolises to the epic grasslands of Inner Mongolia - with deserts, sacred peaks, astounding caves, and imperial ruins - it's a land of cultural and geographic schisms.

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Anhui Chaohu Travel Guide

Anhui Chaohu Travel Guide

Population: 4,530,600

Area: 9,423 square kilometers (3,638 square miles)

Nationalities: Han

Administrative Division: 1 district (Juchao); 4 counties (Lujiang, Wuwei, Hanshan, Hexian)

Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0565-2324646
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0565-2316038

Anhui Chaohu Location: Situated in central Anhui Province, Chaohu City borders the Yangtze River on the south with one of the five largest freshwater lakes, Chaohu Lake on its north. It neighbors cities including Hefei and Nanjing and is separated from Wuhu by Yangtze River.

Anhui Chaohu History: The history of Chaohu area as a county can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). In the following years, this land of fish and rice left behind a number of historical sites ranging from the Paleolithic Age to old battlefield and ancient buildings. After the establishment of the PRC, Chaohu Special Administrative Area was established in 1949 and the Chaohu City was established in 1982.

Anhui Chaohu Physical Features: The terrain of the city is higher in the north and lower in the south. Hills and plains constitute the major part of the land. It has a vast water area of 1,267 square kilometers (489 square miles). Chaohu is considered to have the most fertile land in Anhui.

Anhui Chaohu Climatic Features: Enjoying a subtropical humid monsoon climate with annual average temperature of 16C (61F). The rainfall varies greatly in different season and places. Generally, June to July is its plum rain period. The coldest and hottest days appear in January and July.

When to Go Anhui Chaohu: Spring and autumn are the best seasons to Chaohu. Every year in April, the city will hold peony viewing festival.

Special Local Products: tea, red melon seed, ‘three treasures of Chaohu' (whitebait, white shrimp and crab)

Anhui Chaohu Scenic Spots:
Chaohu Lake: Old name for Jiaohu Lake, the Chaohu Lake gained its present name for the shape like a bird's nest. It is a national scenic spot listed as on of the most famous freshwater lakes in China with rivers, lakes, hot springs and mountains as its greatest sceneries. It is always the first choice for visitors to Chaohu City. The Mushan Island in the lake is also an attractive spot worth visiting.
Other Scenic Spots: Yinping Mountain, Tianmen Mountain, Bantang Hotspring

Anhui Chaohu Tourist Tips:
1. Visitors can get to Hefei and Wuhu along the expressway with about half an hour and they can find the buses in the bus station in Changjiang Road (East), Juchao District. In addition, trains from Huaibei to Huangshan make stops in Chaohu, and it will take six hours from Chaohu to Huangshan.

2. Chaohu is only 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Hefei Luogang Airport and 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Nanjing (Lukou) International Airport. Well developed expressways make the transport from Chaohu to the airports much convenient.