软卧: The Overnight Train

从北京到西安 From Beijing to Xian

Today, we set out on our midterm trip out of Beijing. About half of the students on the programme had chosen Xian as their weekend destination. Xian lies some 14 hours south-west of Beijing. Driving that far south of London would take you to the suburbs of Barcelona!

To cover the vast distances across the country, Chinese people tend to opt for a cheaper train rather than a quicker plane. Our teachers had told us the previous week that travelling by train gives you the opportunity to 交新中国朋友 make new Chinese friends, 尝当地的小吃 try local snacks, and 看好环境 to see the beautiful countryside. But travelling in a group of about 25 means that you tend not to meet new people, and travelling by night limits how much of the countryside you actually see.

However, there was one aspect of this train journey that was particularly distinguishing – the comfort. We had the luxury of 软卧 soft beds, the best tickets you can book on these trains. There were four beds to a cabin, two 上的upper and two 下的 lower ones. I was in an upper one. The reliable air conditioning, coupled with the soft mattress made our eleven hour journey pass by very quickly. I even slept better in this moving cabin than on the rock hard wood-like mattress we have back at UIBE! The journey was more comfortable and much quieter than overnight trains in Europe, which was a wonderful surprise. I must admit, I am quite looking forward to our train back to Beijing, so pleasant was this experience.