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Modern times
Most train stations in China are now computerized and, if nothing else, it has at
least changed the readability of the tickets. Only very seldom will you still
encounter the old-style cardboard tickets, maybe even with a huge foreigner's ticket
attached. Those seem only to be sold in smaller far-out places nowadays.
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Decipher your ticket!
After buying your ticket through a hole-in-the-wall in the station or from somebody
out in the street, you are maybe wondering if you're going to the right place after
all. Here's a little helper that you'll probably want to print out and bring with you:
Origin & Destination: Clear enough - if you know Chinese characters... Get
somebody in the hotel to write the characters down for you to show to the ticket
clerk and to check on the ticket.
In this example it's Xi'an to Datong, by the way.
Train Number: You'll need that number to find the right waiting room and queue
once you are at the station for your trip.
Year, Month & Day: Well, it has happened that travellers arrive a day to late
at the station...
Price: This needn't be the price you have paid - surcharges and black-market
rates could be added.
Departure Time: At this time the train is leaving the station - and in China
trains are on time! It's best to arrive about half an hour before so that you
have time to find the train - and fight for your seat if you are on Hard Seat.
Carriage: Usually that's just a number, but in this example it's the
additional carriage number one (that's the little character in front of the one),
not carriage number one!
Compartment: Since it's a Hard Sleeper ticket, this is actually Row Number.
Berth Position: Here it's a Middle Bed (box with a vertical stroke through the middle),
Upper and Lower Bed looks like a finger pointing up or down - you'll know it when you see it...
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