Foto's

we will now commence a 10 hour train journey from luoyang to xian in a soft seat compartment complete with our own elevated seating for viewing and dedicated guard and kitchen facilities
tea is a constant companion on the journey and the chinese passengers are forever brewing up

scanned from a machine print

China has one of the biggest and busiest rail networks in the world, and trains link almost every Chinese town and city. There is currently no railway into Tibet, but a line to Lhasa is under construction, due to be completed in 2007.
The rail network forms the backbone of the Chinese transport system and serves most of cities. Visitors can explore much of China by train and many find it an efficient and inexpensive means of travel. The cost is around 25 percent less than comparable air services.

Chinese trains differ from those in other countries as the seating is not separated into first and second class areas. In China, the accommodation on the trains is divided into four categories, namely, soft-sleeper, hard-sleeper, soft-seat and hard-seat.

Hard Seats[Hard Seats] Contrary to what the name implies, the seats are upholstered. These are the less expensive seats. These seats tend to be crowded and are not always very clean.
Soft Seats: These seats cost rather more but are very comfortable, with plenty of leg room. The carriages are less crowded than the hard-seat carriages.