The train is the most common form of transportation for travelling long distances in China. With a great number of people moving to big cities to seek better job opportunities, you can only imagine how ridiculously packed trains are when it comes to Chinese New Year. It also means that attempting to buy a train ticket during this period is an almost impossible task.
I was slightly luckier – for my train trip from Hangzhou to my grandfather’s I managed to snap up a standing ticket (the very last of the tickets available). Let me explain that there are 4 possible tickets you can purchase. The “hard sleeper” (dirty connotations aside) is a bunk bed in an open space of numerous other bunks. 3 bunk beds in a row, and a little table between every 6 beds for food, drinks, etc. Basically, an extremely communal space.
The ‘soft sleeper’ (the most expensive) is a more comfortable and private version of this. Instead of an open space, every 4 bunk beds get their own little room.
Aside from the sleepers you can also buy a seating ticket, or if the case be that these run out, a standing ticket (both are the same price). I knew perfectly well that my train ride would be a good 14-15 hours but I was unaware/ignorant of what exactly the nature of this ticket entailed. I should have known that walking 2.5 hours to school is nothing in comparison. And I should have realised that having worked 8 hour shifts behind the bar means nothing because hey I worked at the Gordon Club.
I was lucky though. Within my first 5 minutes one guy offered to share his seat by telling (not asking) the two next to him to squeeze up a little. I said no but here’s the thing, you can’t say no to a Chinese. So I politely take up the corner of the seat and pull out my book. That however in no way meant that I was occupied by another activity and not available for conversation, because the next thing I know I’ve answered all his questions regarding my age, where I’m from, what I study, how much it costs to study, my grandfather’s age and really just about everything. Vice versa I also found out all about him, without asking a single question.
Anyway, soon after he’s pulled out a pack of sunflower seeds. Again I gave him a no (because I genuinely did not want any), but Chinese people take that as a politer way of saying yes apparently, because he proceeded to pour half the pack into my hands. So there we were, cracking away at sunflower seeds while he discussed his life like we had known each other for a lot longer than half an hour.
Finally his stop came. He left his number (because we were obviously new best friends at this point) and I was again left with no seat. Soon I began nodding off (yes I was standing up) and another guy stood up and offered his seat. (More specifically, he came up and told me to sit down and sleep because he was going for a cigarette.) This time i “disobeyed”.
