# China by train: 5000km, 5 cities and fast trains



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

The main point of this tour was not so much a thorough exploration of the cities - Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou (in that order, plus Hong Kong) - but about evaluating the brand new China's high-speed rail system which is still very much in progress of construction but already connects many of the major urban centers in the vast country and is already by far the world's largest HSR system. So much has been discussed about it in the media and forums like this one with so many varying opinions that I decided a *5000km trip* inside China should be good enough to get a better understanding of how it actually feels to travel in China by train these days.

In short, my verdict is the following: it's amazing!
I'll try to show why.

Map indicating which routes I took (in red)



And a quick video I compiled as a preview. For everyone's convenience I'll upload all videos to *Youtube* and *Youku*













:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODI5OTAzNzM2.html

I hope it's going to be interesting


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Spectacular video, very well made.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

^^
Thanks! 

A first small batch of pictures is from Hong Kong which was my starting and ending point of the entire journey (it just worked out best this way). I didn't concentrate much on HK this time because just a month or so before I spent a week there and a photo threat about it can be found here. 

A few photos from the airport bus. Double decker buses are excellent for observing Hong Kong's streetscapes




Hong Kong port container terminal


Stonecutters Bridge. Opened in 2009 as one of the main highway links to HK Airport. At present it's got world's 3rd longest span of cable stayed bridges. Just an interesting fact: according to Wikipedia, 58 of the world's 110 longest spans of completed cable stayed bridges are to be found in China (including Hong Kong) these days. 24 out of 30 longest U/C spans are to be found in China too. Perhaps just a tiny indication of the scale of transport infrastructure build-up that is taking place in China.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Wow, what a trip! And by train! I'm a bit jealous. Fortunately we can join and enjoy it here. kay:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

Next is Shenzhen which is literally a stone's throw away from Hong Kong and can be reached from Hong Kong in no time. Unlike going to Hong Kong, however, I do need a visa to get there. The land border (Luohu/Lowu crossing in this case) between Hong Kong and Shenzhen functions like any normal international border crossing with passport control and stamping (although HK doesn't stamp passports any more) on both sides. The proceedure is quick and smooth. Althopugh there are other ways to travel between Hong Kong and Shenzhen including ferry boat



A video with ambient sound summarizing the locations that I visited during one full day in the city. One day is certainly not enough to see the major attractions but it wasn't the purpose of the trip anyway













*Youku*


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Metro station (Huaqiang North station) exit on Zhenhua Road


Project development visual on a wall in Hongli Road


Hui Hotel located on the corner of Hongli Road and Huafu Road. Great architecture for a lowrise hotel. After some Internet search it looks like one of the better rated new hotels in Shenzhen, although by no means on a cheap side. I couldn't find who designed it


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Nice videos too!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

Shenzhen Central Park. One of the advantages of Shenzhen compared to other major cities in China is amount of public parks like this one. Lots of maintained green spaces to hang out outside


The skyscraper U/C, if I'm not mistaken, is the 329m Hon Kwok City Center


Residential area on Hongli Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*



Bike share


Caitian Road near Futian CBD


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

Some rather dull residential buildings. What makes a difference, however, is the fact that much of the dullness is simply overwhelmed by the surrounding lush greenery. It is not uncommon in Shenzhen to be completely surrounded by dense greenery completely transforming the perception of the place for better




Caitian Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

Spot a London cab


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

Residential area near Futian CBD



Residentials alongside office towers


Jintian Road


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

To Hong Kongers, Shenzhen is a whole different world and better to be further away! lol


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

hkskyline said:


> To Hong Kongers, Shenzhen is a whole different world and better to be further away! lol


You're right about SZ being a different place. It seems Hong Kongers don't follow your advice on staying further away though. At least that's the impression I've got. And I'm not talking just about seedy places frequented by guests from south of the border if you know what I mean


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos Pansori


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

View of Futian CBD from the elevated pedestrian walk connecting the Civic Center with Lianhuashan Park




Jintian Road. Cement trucks are common all over SZ. Futian CBD albeit visually complete for most part still remains one of the busiest development areas in the city


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Cars parked alongside a small street near the Children's Palace





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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Elevated walk*



*Lianhuashan Park*



Another photographer


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen. Lianhuashan Park*



​


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Good stuff, my man, good stuff!


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

When people travel they seem to leave their common sense at home. I doubt the British guy you mentioned would fall for something like that in London. Personally I ignore anyone that tries to chat me up. I mean why would they if not to scam me?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> Personally I ignore anyone that tries to chat me up. I mean why would they if not to scam me?


It may happen in China. But not in main tourist spots.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen. Lianhuashan Park*

*Lianhuashan Park*
Park on a hill overlooking the Civic Center and Futian CBD. One of the easiest locations to see the impressive skyline of Shenzhen



*Statue of Deng Xiaoping*
The man who played a critical role in shaping China what it is today


This is the view from the side of the statue

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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Lianhuashan Park*
Fellow photographers going around their business


*Futian CBD*
Futian CBD may look complete for most part but there is still enormous amount of construction going on



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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Civic Center*
View through the Civic Center to Civic Square


*Ping An International Finance Centre*
This one will grow all the way to 660 meters


*KK100 and Shun Hing Square*
View towards the old part of Shenzhen

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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Shenzhen looks incredible! Plan to visit Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau and Guangzhou next year!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Skyscrapers*

Excellence Century Plaza Towers along with other skyscrapers




*KK100 and Shun Hing Square*

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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Apartments*



*Skyscrapers*




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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Fuzhong 1st Road*





*Pedestrian spaces*


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Nightsky said:


> Shenzhen looks incredible! Plan to visit Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau and Guangzhou next year!


Great! I will be getting back there again next year. Shenzhen is a truly amazing place. One of a kind. It must the most dynamic and fastest developing city the world has ever seen. It's quite a feeling to actually see all of that happening in person.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Impressive Photos , Its not often we see a fresh and diverse view of China on this site.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen*

*Ping An*
Seen from the elevated walk near the Civic Center





*Lianhuashan Park*

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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Ping An*



*Civic Center*


*Near Civic Center*



​


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## juan.83 (Jan 7, 2011)

Honestly i have to add china by train to my bucket list and this thread is giving me more reasons for it.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

juan.83 said:


> Honestly i have to add china by train to my bucket list and this thread is giving me more reasons for it.


Thanks. I'll post photos and videos from inside the trains themselves


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## gongwiththewind01 (Dec 11, 2014)

Nice work! thanks Pansori


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai*

Next leg of the trip is the train journey from Shenzhen to Shanghai. It's an early morning taxi ride to Shenzhen North station because metro opens only 6:30 which is too late to catch a train from Shenzhen North at 7:00 in the morning.

The 07:00 D2282 train bound for Tianjin, along with a couple of other trains originating at the same time, seems to be the first train departing Shenzhen North. This train will take me to Shanghai. The distance is 1623km and it takes precisely 12 hours to get from Shenzhen to Shanghai. It may seem like a long and tiring journey but in reality it was anything but. 

It may have been helped by the fact that I booked 1st class ticket (larger seats with plenty of room all over the place even for a tall person like myself) but the overall comfort and smooth ride of the train was a major factor too. The experience was simply top-notch. And of course the views along the way.

Given that this entire railway route opened less than a year ago and that previously there wasn't ANY railroad along the same route it gives a good idea what a game-changing factor this was for people who travel along China's Eastern coast. Modern hi-speed trainsets, state of the art railway stations some of which can be compared to modern airports in terms of complexity and size, nice on-board service, smartly dressed (and pretty ) on-board attendants offering food and drinks, constant mobile network coverage at any speed including tunnels. Pretty amazing when you realize that none of this existed just a few years ago.

Train travel in China has gone from complicated and messy to _smooth and sexy_ (and very fast) almost overnight. And it was a great pleasure to experience this.

Map:


I made a 5 minute video compilation capturing the entire 1600km 12 hour journey.








Video at


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen North Railway Station*

Before departing a quick glimpse at Shenzhen North Railway Station.

Opened at the end of 2011 it's one of many ultramodern mega-stations that popped up (and keep popping up) in all major cities in China to serve new hi-speed railway lines. Just one of the links in what is probably the largest transport infrastructure development to have ever taken place in the world.

The station is located about 8km to the North from the Civic Center (Futian CBD) and can be reached by two different metro lines. Much of the surrounding areas seem to be under heavy development with residential and infrastructure projects underway.

Personally I find Shenzhen North to be the most architecturally and aesthetically pleasing station building in China. It simply looks amazing.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen North Railway Station*

Open public square near the station



Cafes outside the station


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen North Railway Station*

Station roof structure



Interior (departures hall). There is a number of fast food outlets including Western fast foods (McD, KFC, BK), Japanese noodles and other stuff


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*CRH2B train*

The train that took me from Shenzhen to Shanghai.

CRH2B trainset which is made up of 16 cars and can travel at a cruising speed of 250km/h. Most of the time (between Shenzhen and Ningbo) top speed didn't exceed 202km/h while between Ningbo and Shanghai (via Hangzhou) it pushed up all the way to 250km/h


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## little universe (Jan 3, 2008)

Pansori said:


> I made a 5 minute video compilation capturing the entire 1600km 12 hour journey.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


^^

What a video! thanks Pansori.  :cheers:

I especially enjoy the views inside the cavernous Shenzhen North Railway Station.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

little universe said:


> ^^
> 
> What a video! thanks Pansori.  :cheers:
> 
> I especially enjoy the views inside the cavernous Shenzhen North Railway Station.


Thanks 

I must say I do admire Shenzhen North station like no other. They really went an extra mile to actually make it look cool. Pay attention to the wavy ceiling structure. It does look as if it's floating there by itself.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ These trains above are really fast! 250km per hour... :shocked:


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## foxmulder (Dec 1, 2007)

I've just seen this.

Alright, Pansori, you have done the dream journey for a high speed train enthusiast, great for you  Nice upload, thanks for sharing. 

You should cross-post this to high speed rail topic under railways and under Mainland forums, too. 

:cheers:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

foxmulder said:


> I've just seen this.
> 
> Alright, Pansori, you have done the dream journey for a high speed train enthusiast, great for you  Nice upload, thanks for sharing.
> 
> ...


Thanks!
I will post relevant posts to some other threads (as I already did with some).

It was indeed a dream journey. I'm happy I made this decision. Traveling by train is such a cool way to travel and see the place. And in China's case it's becoming incredibly easy too.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*

Train tickets. Tickets can be bought at any station for any route. Tickets are checked at least 4 times: once upon entering the main station waiting hall, then while boarding the train at the gate, then inside the train by on-board attendant and finally after exiting the train at the destination (automatic gates). A bit of an overkill perhaps



Inside of the 1st class carriage of the CRH2B train. The seats are spacious and comfortable. Even a 12 hour ride didn't cause any problems in terms of comfort or fatigue. There is a dining carriage (might be hard to get a seat though) and quite a few options of food for purchase including beer. Overall a great travel experience


Between the cars

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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*

Somewhere...


Development is evident everywhere along the way


One of many intermediate stations




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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*



This is typical maximum speed that the train would go between stops



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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*

Xiamen North is one of the major stops along the way








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## jutinyoung (Dec 9, 2007)

spectacular!!! good job!!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*

Xiamen North Railway Station. A CRH1 train approaching in a distance


In China you don't need to look far to see the evidence of new developments. Usually a glimpse through a train window is enough


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*

Quanzhou

IMG_6256 by jo.sau

Between Shenzhen and Ningbo the train goas at around 200km/h. After Ningbo (and all the way to Shanghai) it speeds up to 250km/h


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shenzhen-Shanghai train*

Hangzhou East railway Station. This is in fact one of the largest stations in China and in the world. Opened in 2013





Shanghai Hongqiao station. Not only it is one of the largest railway stations but also one of the largest transportation hubs in the world incorporating a massive HSR station, airport and various public transport links. The size of the complex is staggering


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## Faisal Shourov (Jan 6, 2013)

Pansori said:


> Shenzhen Central Park. One of the advantages of Shenzhen compared to other major cities in China is amount of public parks like this one. Lots of maintained green spaces to hang out outside


Whether it's the best city in Mainland China or not, Shenzhen is surely very different when it comes to greenery and parks. It's the only major Chinese city where I see so much effort put into landscaping

Weren't you supposed to visit Chongqing btw? I look forward to see more of your Shanghai photos!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Next is Shanghai

First of all I'd like to say a cheers to our SSC forum member and moderator *big-dog* who dedicated his time for a little meetup in Shanghai. It's a great pleasure to meet great people from the forum! 

For the starters a quick video I made in Shanghai. Sadly weather wasn't quite perfect for going out with a camera but I did have some photo opportunities






Video at


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Photos from Shanghai

Yan An East Road with elevated Yan An road right above it



Xizang Middle Road lining the Poeple's Square



Artwork


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

The usual busy street with countless little shops and eating places. Perhaps typical old Shanghai


Among new skyscrapers the lagacy of pre-WW2 Art Deco buildings is evident in every step. There are varying interpretations what position in the global list would Shanghai occupy in terms of Ard Deco but one thing is certain: it's among the top cities in the world when it comes to sheer numbers of existing Art Deco buildings. This is one of the features that make Shanghai truly unique in China in terms of architectural diversity


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

The following two photos are from a restaurant in Yishan (Xujiahui area). Thanks to big-dog for taking me there 

New modern shopping malls are a good place to experience the modern urban Chinese dining. Something that is hardly known in the West and certainly a new experience to me. The chefs are cooking meat and other stuff right in front of the diners on a big square baking pan adjacent to the diners' table. Pretty cool. They would also leave their workplace for a short dance to entertain the diners and perhaps to have a little exercise once in a while


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Elevated roads not far from People's Square



The famous stack junction near Poeple's Square. This gargantuan construction is located right in the middle of what should be regarded as Shanghai city center. It's quite a sight to behold


The guy simply stopped in the middle of the road, hoped off his scooter, assembled the tripod and started taking photos


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Great updates again!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Continued with The Bund
This must be one of the most striking urban locations anywhere in the world. Fascinating early 20th century facades accompanied by 21st century skyscrapers on the opposite bank of Huangpu River. The area was renovated a few years ago at a cost of several hundred million $. It looks amazing. A bit like London but better


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*The Bund*



Guangdong Road


Pudong Skyline. Sadly all 3 days that I spent Shanghai weren't good in terms of weather


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Nanjing Road
The popular shopping area in Shanghai


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center
One of the absolute must-visit locations for those who are interested in urban development of Shanghai. There is a good number of interesting exhibitions including historical images, maps, future visions and other aspects of urban development in Shanghai including a massive scale model of the central part of the city. Some exhibitions are permanent while some are changing


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center*

Rroom showcasing the timeline of Shanghai's urban development including descriptions, maps and imagery. I found this to be one of the most valuable and interesting parts of the museum






View from the top floor of the museum. Overlooking People's Square


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Yunnan South Road. A small street nearby the Poeple's Square. Lined with numerous restaurants. I was staying there during the duration of my visit to Shanghai. Many of the major attractions on this side of the river are within walking distance or a couple of stops away by metro


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates :cheers:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*South Bund*

Waima Road. South Bund. One of the new emerging cool locations with an evident post-industrial touch. Lined with old converted warehouses put to various contemporary uses



Waterhouse At South Bund hotel. May not look like a 5* hotel at first sight but that's part of the coolness about it


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Cool Docks*

Cool Docks at South Bund. Located by the same Waima Road. A newly developing trendy area for dining and shopping. It looks and feels a bit like Xintiandi



Lujiazui skyline seen from Waima Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

These two need no introduction



Office buildings along Zhongshan East 2nd Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*The Bund*

The Bund
Pudong skyline on the other side of Huangpu River


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## lebadinage (Jul 12, 2010)

Beautiful photos! I have yet to visit Shanghai.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

The Bund continued

An LED lit up decorative roof structure on the Bund



Pudong Skyscrapers and boat


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai. The Bund*

Old buildings on the Bund.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

Yunnan South Road. Right next to People's Square


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai*

People's Square metro station. Line 2 towards Hongqiao



Hongqiao Railway Station. This is where the next leg of the journey begins. To Beijing


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## flankerjun (Oct 7, 2013)

*looking forward to updating*


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## Hallavaara (Nov 6, 2010)

Great thread, I am really looking forward to your Beijing pictures 

I had to opportunity to live in Shanghai for the better part of 2014 (regrettably now I am back in northern Europe for now). I often dined at the restaurants of Cool Docks, a friend used to live on the Shimao compound just a quick ferry ride across to the opposite side.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai-Beijing train*

Next is the Shanghai-Beijing railway trip. 
This is the flagship route of China's high-speed rail system connecting China's two largest and most important cities.

The line was opened in 2011 and cost over US$32bn to build. 

It was meant to be world's fastest conventional rail service going at up to 380km/h if not the slowdown campaign which took place in 2011. Speed was capped at 300km/h (realistically at around 310km/h) on the entire Chinese HSR network.

Even despite the 'slow' 300km/h speed it's an experience to behold: departing from the gargantuan state of the art Hongqiao Railway Station and then speeding all the way to Beijing South on a brand new CRH380BL trainset with only one stop at Nanjing South. The 1302km journey takes 4:48 hours at an *average* speed of 271km/h.


Hongqiao Railway Station departures level (top floor). The station is enormous in size



Waiting for boarding at the gate. Chinese stations use airport style boarding system



My train, G2 service to Beijing. The actual trainset is a CRH380BL which was derived from the original CRH3 (aka Velaro CN) which was in turn derived from the German Siemens Velaro design also used for ICE3 in Germany. The train has a total of 16 cars including one dining car (which is always packed)


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai-Beijing train*

At the platform



Going at over 300km/h. Comfort and noise level, as expected, is excellent. There is hardly any vibration or undesirable noise inside the car. The train goes in a straight line (or so it feels) pretty much all of the time. All in all a pleasurable experience


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai-Beijing train*

Some picturesque views on the way





Passing Tianjin. The tall structure U/C is the 597m tall Golding Finance 117


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Shanghai-Beijing train*

And the video 






*Youku*: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODUyNjE1OTQw.html


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## timmy- brissy (Aug 28, 2007)

What a truly fascinating and wonderful thread. These excellent pictures have given me a greater insight into China, thanks Pansori.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

The next location is Beijing

I was in China 3 times prior to this visit but never managed to make it to the capital. I finally did it this time even if only for one day. Beijing is an easy place to navigate (just looking at the map may suggest why) and even a brief visit can give a fairly good idea of the city's urban layout and planning.

Beijing is different from Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen (not to mention that all of these cities are very different from each other). In terms of planning, geography and, not least, climate. It gave me an opportunity to realize what a vast and diverse place China really is. Beijing is so far away from Guangzhou not just in terms of physical distance but other aspects too (I would just describe it as the 'feel of the city').

While I might prefer Guangzhou or Shenzhen simply due to more pleasant climate and geographical location, Beijing is a sight to behold. If there was one word to describe it it would have to be grand. It's a grandiose and glorious city like no other: wide avenues and massive buildings continuing indefinitely to the horizon. Historical sights and the modern political center of the People's Republic. 

Beijing looks and feels big. And it is.

A short video I compiled while in Beijing






*Youku*: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODUzOTYzNzA0.html


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## ccdk (Dec 12, 2014)

Pansori said:


> The next location is Beijing


Oh I miss Beijing!


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## Japanac (Jan 20, 2013)

Hi Pansori!
The photos and videos are awesome. This gave me totally different view on China. How much are prices different between towns, which one is generally most expensive and which the cheapest of those 5?
Thanks for sharing! :cheers:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Japanac said:


> Hi Pansori!
> The photos and videos are awesome. This gave me totally different view on China. How much are prices different between towns, which one is generally most expensive and which the cheapest of those 5?
> Thanks for sharing! :cheers:


Thanks! 

May I ask what were the differences of your view of China?

Price-wise I didn't notice much difference. Metro is much cheaper in Beijing at 2 RMB flat rate. But that is about to change soon.

Otherwise I didn't notice (or perhaps didn't pay attention) much difference in prices. Overall China is one of the best (if not the best) countries to stay and travel in terms of value for money. Take traveling on HSR for example. It must be by far the cheapest hi-speed railway system. Especially given the level of service and brand new infrastructure. Same applies to many other aspects of life in China be it Beijing or Shenzhen. At least this is the impression I've got.


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## Kingslayer (Aug 2, 2013)

First of all, amazing thread :cheers:

What are differences between the cities you have visited? From what I see Shenzhen looks most modern. But is it really? Does Hong Kong feel like a more western city than the other cities you have visited and why? Which city has left overall the best impression on you, and why?

Can't wait for more pics!!!


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## Japanac (Jan 20, 2013)

Pansori said:


> Thanks!
> May I ask what were the differences of your view of China?


I thought there are less cars, more people on streets, the roads are in bad condition (in city), don't know how to explain. :lol: :cheers:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Kingslayer said:


> First of all, amazing thread :cheers:
> 
> What are differences between the cities you have visited? From what I see Shenzhen looks most modern. But is it really? Does Hong Kong feel like a more western city than the other cities you have visited and why? Which city has left overall the best impression on you, and why?
> 
> Can't wait for more pics!!!


Thanks!

Shenzhen is the most modern big city in China. Although fundamentally it's not much different from other cities. The modernity there has more to do with planning and landscaping. The city was built from scratch so planners had far more freedom than elsewhere.

On the other hand the most modern CBD among the first tier cities is Guangzhou's Zhujiang New Town (I will get to it a little later) which really makes the rest of the bunch look modest.

It's hard to tell which of the first tier cities would leave the best impression. It's entirely a matter of personal preferences and taste. I would prefer Guangzhou or Shenzhen for living due to close proximity to each other (they are virtually bordering each other), best geography and warm tropical climate as well as cleaner air and close proximity to Hong Kong and Macau which is always a huge plus for any city. 

But if I had to rate cities individually ignoring the outside factors then it's really hard to have a pick. All first tier cities in China are at a similar level of development and with similar amount of activities.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

I shall continue with photos from Beijing.

It so happened that due to limited time I only had one full day in Beijing which is obviously not quite enough to see a city of this size. Luckily I had perfect weather and clear blue skies during my short stay which helped alot.

I stayed right next to Tiananmen Square which was my very first experience of Beijing. It happened that I was there only a few days before the APEC meeting which was attended by all of the top level officials from relevant countries. I was aware that there was some meeting taking place but I didn't realize what a colossal security operation was underway in Beijing because of this. Never in my life I had seen THAT many police and security forces of all kinds including armed and unarmed police, armed military, security guards and state security personnel. There were literally thousands of officers all over the place. It seemed like Beijing was extremely serious about ensuring security of the event

Great Hall of the People




At some point a number of police cars blocked Changan Avenue for some VIP escort to pass by at high speed


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Police officer on a segway 



Underground pedestrian crossing under Changan Avenue



Main gate of the Forbidden City


----------



## bagongbryan09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Nice pictures!


----------



## Hallavaara (Nov 6, 2010)

You got really lucky with the weather in Beijing. I think your video really captures a lot Beijing essentials; the historical sights, the futuristic architecture of the new business districts and the cars moving on a glacial pace due to extreme traffic congestion


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Continued

Near the entrance to the Forbidden City. Although the museum itself was already closed there were lots of people taking photos of the place and of themselves



Beijing Hotel (Raffles part, built in 1917). There was a number of visual installations relating to the upcoming APEC meeting in Beijing which was about to take place in a few days time. 



Beijing Hotel (Block D from 1974) on East Changan Avenue


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Dashilan West Street. This location is a preserved and renovated hutong area within walking distance to the South West from Tiananmen Square. It's very much a touristy area full of foreigners and relevant establishments such as souvenir shops and small restaurants. Despite that it really feels pleasant and definitely a good place to stay for those visiting Beijing for tourism purposes and looking for inexpensive but good location to stay






McDonalds on Meishi Street which helped me not to forget the taste of Western fast food. McD is really well priced in China: if my memory is not tricking me a McChicken meal cost 18 RMB which equals US$2.9 at the current exchange rate. I got an overall impression that McD is hugely popular in China


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Random street scenes around Meishi Street, a hutong area not far from Tiananmen Square


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

The following photos were taken from and around Tiananmen Square which is the centerpiece of the capital



China World Trade Center seen from Tiananmen Square. Currently it's the tallest skyscraper in Beijing at 330 meters




Besides numerous police and security people there was a number of armed military personnel


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing Tiananmen Square*

Guards marching around


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing. Tiananmen Square*

Entrance to the Forbidden City seen from the square


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing. Tiananmen Square*


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing. Tiananmen Square*

Monument to the People's Heroes



More police


----------



## Faisal Shourov (Jan 6, 2013)

Beijing looks scary with all that police cars :lol:


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Continued from Beijing

Entrance to the Forbidden City



Training ground for guards



Meridian Gate. Thelargest gate of the Forbidden City


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Beijing has a reputation for bad air quality. However during my visit I was blessed with perfect blue skies and perfect visibility. Possibly due to the then upcoming APEC meeting which saw restrictions on traffic. Combine that with bright autumn colors and you get some really sharp and colorful contrasts



Beichang Street


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Beichang Street



Northwest corner tower


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*



Jingshan Park which is North from the Forbidden City. There is a viewing platform on the top of the hill


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Views from Jingshan Park

Those mountains are about 20km away beyond the 5th ring road



Forbidden City


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

More views from Jingshan Park



Spot the Bird's Nest. Also note the mountains. They are about 35km away. Just to give an idea how good the visibility was on that day


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing. Views from Jingshan Park*



TV Tower. It would have been a perfect day to visit the observation deck but I simply didn't have time to do that. The tower is 405m high with an observation deck at 238m, built in 1992


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

very nice tour!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Continued from Jingshan Park

On a nice day like this there were lots of photographers all over the place



Beijing CBD. This is not the full view of the CBD skyline but it's obvious that it's somewhat modest compared to other major cities in China. The tower in the middle is the 330m tall China WTC Tower III, the tallest skyscraper in Beijing and so far the only supertall in the capital


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

CBD



Yintai Center


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Wider angle of the Forbidden City


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## PanthersFootball (Jan 17, 2015)

Kind of video that make me jealous  So very well done, a country worth visiting, keep it up with the pics, they are appreciated!


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Continued from the capital

Jingshan Park



Roofs of the Forbidden City


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*



National Centre for the Performing Arts. This is one amazing building by Paul Andreu. I'll have a chance to have a look at it from a closer distance a little later


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Perfect weather and time of day for photo shooting



Autumn colors


----------



## Þróndeimr (Jan 14, 2003)

Awesome photos! Great to see such quality picture and not the random mobil-snapshot these days!


----------



## TowerVerre:) (Dec 1, 2012)

Awesome shots as always, you are a really talented photographer! I am a fan of your threads


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Full of beauty, full of colors!


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Continued from Jingshan Park


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Trolleybus



China WTC seen from the Northern gate of the Forbidden City


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Canal surrounding the Forbidden City


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

The following photos are from walking along the road from the Northern side of the Forbidden City towards the CBD


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Continued

Dynamic LED board showing traffic information. They are common on major roads



Dongsi/Chaoyangmen Inner street towards the CBD


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Cycling n tha hood



Škoda with a fuel tank lid painted in colors of the Czech flag


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

2nd Ring Road. Zaha's Galaxy Soho can be seen on the right



Chaoyangmen Outer street



Headquarters of Sinopec. According to some sources it's the 3rd largest company in the world by revenue (2014)


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

Turning to Jintong West Road. We're at Beijing CBD



Chaoyangmenwai SOHO. I tried to find out who designed this building but to no avail. Really cool architecture in my opinion



Pedestrian level


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

SOHO Shangdu. Another piece of great architecture





A massive structure with LED screen on the ceiling. I didn't have a chance to see it work but there are many videos of what it looks like while operational


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

Office buildings along Jinghua South Street



Easter Island statues. No idea why


----------



## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Awesome photos; awesome thread; awesome country....Shanghai and Beijing looks like 'must visits'. The rate of growth and change in China is simply phenomenal.


One of the best threads ever....


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

openlyJane said:


> Awesome photos; awesome thread; awesome country....Shanghai and Beijing looks like 'must visits'. The rate of growth and change in China is simply phenomenal.
> 
> 
> One of the best threads ever....


Thanks for your kind words. 

Both Shanghai and Beijing are certainly must-visit cities by any measure. Same applies to Shenzhen and Guangzhou. I'll still post my brief tour of the latter once I'll finish with Beijing.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

Continued. Beijing CBD

China WTC seen from Jinghua Street...



...and from Guanghua Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

View alongside the 3rd Ring Road which is crossing the CBD



Interactive (touchscreen) information terminals which among other services offer an interactive map of Beijing


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

CCTV Headquarters. Perhaps one of the most unique and interesting skyscrapers to have ever been built. Undoubtedly one of the top modern landmarks of Beijing. Designed by Rem Koolhaas



3rd Ring Road


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing CBD*

What it may look like in the future



Elevated structure of 3rd Ring Road with Beijing Yintai Centre glowing in red


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Beijing's 2nd Ring Road. The smallest and the innermost ring-road (there actually isn't a 1st ring road). This particular spot is just 3.4km away from the Forbidden City. Beijing has 5 ring-roads




Capital Museum


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Fuxingmen Outer Road. Note the watering truck on the left side



Elevated road structures


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Towering residential blocks alongside Fuxing Road. Those seem to be from the 80's



Yangfangdian Road which will take me straight to the Beijing West Railway Station


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing*

Beijing West Railway Station. A huge station even if not quite as massive as some of the late HSR stations in China. Built in 1996 it's a good example of the large modern Chinese stations built in the 90's. This is where HSR G services to Guangzhou/Shenzhen originate. Shanghai services go from/to Beijing South which is a few kilometers to the southwest.

The station facilities are ok with numerous fast food restaurants (including a number of McDs and KFCs), shops and waiting halls. Only that despite its large size it just doesn't seem fully adequate for the amount of people inside. It feels a little crowded. A rather different experience from the new stations such as Shenzhen North or Beijing South which also seem to get crowded sooner than expected despite being enormous in size. It must be a real headache for the transport authorities to actually decide how big they need to build. On one side there is a pressure not to waste resources by building too big while on the other side it looks like in some cases even the most massive transport projects (like Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing South station) are already working at near-full capacity just a few years after opening and will soon be in a dire need of expansion/upgrade


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing-Guangzhou train ride*

Next is what could be described as the epic HSR ride: Beijing-Guangzhou hi-speed train. From the cold of Beijing to the tropical Guangzhou. This is one of the longest HSR routes (all of them are in China these days anyway) at 2105km and certainly one of the most spectacular allowing to observe a good part of China's landscapes including cities, stations and natural landscapes. The service was a 10:00 G79

Some of the main stats of the trip that I managed to capture

- Distance from Beijing to Guangzhou: 2105km
- Trainset: CRH380BL
- Time: 7 hours and 56 minutes (about 3 minutes ahead of schedule)
- Average speed: 265km/h 
- Maximum speed: 308km/h

And the video






*Youku*: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODY2OTUwNjE2.html


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## Jiangwho (Jun 29, 2006)

Excellent pics and videos so far, Thank you for sharing, look forward to seeing the rest.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing-Guangzhou train*

CRH380BL train which will zoom through the countryside and cities for 2100km all the way to Guangzhou



Outskirts of Beijing


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing-Guangzhou train*

Traveling on this train for 8 hours and 2100km gives a better understanding of what a colossal project the Chinese HSR project really is. There is a bunch of record-breaking stuff all over the place, hundreds of billions of $ of investment, state of the art infrastructure, stations and trainsets. Simply incredible. I was thinking about all of that while gliding through the countryside at 300km/h somewhere in the middle of China. This is something truly, truly remarkable. 

The train reaches 308km/h. It could go as fast as 350-380km/h because all the necessary infrastructure including signalling is there but they stick to the official 300km/h soft limit. Most probably due to economic reasons. Running those trains at higher speeds would increase costs which is not desirable



Wuhan Railway Station. One of the most impressive new stations in China


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing-Guangzhou train*

2nd class carriage. Seats are comfortable and recline with folding tables. Good amount of legroom. Mobile reception works fine all along the way including tunnels. Tea, coffee and snacks are served regularly by train attendants



Dining carriage. It didn't seem like I could get a seat so got my food and beer to my seat. It seems this is what most passengers would do. Some passengers would bring their own food but overall the food counter seemed busy most of the time and I would imagine it brings fairly decent revenue during longer trips like this one. Lots of people buy food and drinks


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Beijing-Guangzhou train*

Arriving at platform in Guangzhou South



Guangzhou South is another gargantuan station. Opened in 2010. One of the biggest in China. This is the place on Google maps


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Very interesting! Your video shows a lot of built up areas - was this mainly in Beijing and its outskirts? There must be lots of rural landscapes in between Beijing and Guangzhou?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

openlyJane said:


> Very interesting! Your video shows a lot of built up areas - was this mainly in Beijing and its outskirts? There must be lots of rural landscapes in between Beijing and Guangzhou?


Thanks! 

Beijing's outskirts are only in the beginning of the video. Other urban views are from and around Zhengzhou, Wuhan and other cities.

There were some nice landscapes in the South but it was getting somewhat dark and I decided to have a nap 

All in all in terms of urbanisation the view seemed typical to what I saw elsewhete: just lots and lots of construction all over the place all along the way. I guess these days it's same all over China, not just first tier cities and coastal areas.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Was Guangzhou station designed by Calatrava? Looks like Lisbon Orient station on steroids!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> Was Guangzhou station designed by Calatrava? Looks like Lisbon Orient station on steroids!


It's designed by TFP Farrells. It's a great looking station but not quite as expressive as Shenzhen North or Wuhan, in my opinion.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

The next stop is Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province and the main transport hub of the PRD.

It was my 3rd visit to the city (albeit a short one) after which I departed for Hong Kong where my journey ended.

First of all a short video






*Youku*: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODkzMDIyNTM2.html


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Now the photos...


Concrete arches on the ground floor of Guangzhou South Railway Station. It is huge. This is the main railway terminus for CRH G services to most destinations all over China including Beijing, Shanghai and nearby Shenzhen with everything in-between. Services to Hong Kong will run from there too once the HK West Kowloon Terminus will be finished some time in 2017 or 2018. 



Going to the metro station at Guangzhou South. It will take about 40 minutes to get to my destination which is about 25km away in the Northern part of Guangzhou. Metro fare system is similar to most other systems in China with ticket costing anything between ¥2 to ¥10 and over. Typically ¥4- ¥5 for an average journey which is very cheap compared to most EU cities and somewhat normal compared to most cities in China and elsewhere in Asia. It has to be mentioned that getting from A to B doesn't cost a fortune in China despite all the state of the art world-class transport infrastructure and services be it metro, HSR or even taxi. I really like that


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

My 'hood' near Meihuayuan metro station in Tianhe district. A rather typical mixed residential area with countless shops and restaurants on the ground floors of residential buildings. 



Since I was hungry after my trip from Beijing I decided to try a local Chinese fast-food near where I stayed (some kind of chicken with rice and vegetable with green tea drink). It was indeed very fast, efficient and with excellent service (the staff spoke English and were very accommodating and welcoming). Overall dining options even in an ordinary residential highrise neighborhood are really good


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

A highrise housing estate nearby Meihuayuan metro station in Guangzhou North Avenue where I was staying


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Views along the main street in the area, Guangzhou North Avenue



Lush greenery protects from direct sunshine


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Electric bike shop on Guangzhou North Avenue



Elevated roads


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

More elevated roads



CRH1 train passing on an elevated track in the vicinity of Guangzhou East Railway Station


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Great images and interesting perspectives.


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## Japanac (Jan 20, 2013)

WOW, those elevated roads are impressive :master:


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Continued from Guangzhou

Without having much of a clue where I was going I ended up in some extremely busy road lined with clothing shops and crowded as hell


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*



Lost in the crowd


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Out of Linhexi metro station on Tianhe North Road. Greeted by skyscrapers of the original Guangzhou CBD which was built throughout the 90's. The rightmost tower is Citic Plaza built in 1996. Roof edge is at 322 meters




Zhujiang New Town not too far away. This is where I will be walking next


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Citic Plaza. As already mentioned the roof is at 322 meters. The spires bring it up all the way to 391 meters above ground



Tianhe North Road



Tianhe East Road


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Traffic on the massive roads in Tianhe CBD area


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Crazy stuff. I'd like to have a wander around those residential neighbourhoods!


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## AdnanPD (Jul 6, 2008)

This is by far my favorite travelogue. China by HSR is definitely on my bucket list!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Walking along Tianhe North Road which is in the vicinity of the CBD. The streets a lined by massive mixed residential and office/commercial highrises


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Continued from Guangzhou

Pedestrian pavement alongside Tianhe North Road



New housing in the surrounding area. I imagine living space in these developments should be pretty expensive given its location (right next to the CBD). Wonder if anyone has an idea how much a square meter would cost in those buildings?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Crossing the street



Taikoo Hui complex housing Mandarin Oriental Hotel


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Tianhe East Road looking towards Zhujiang River. The area is dominated by new highrise blocks however there are remnants of what was there prior to the current developments as will be seen in some of the following photos



Supertalls of the CBD with decaying remains of the old buildings in the foreground



An area of approximately 150 000 square meters right next to the CBD was seemingly in the process of demolition or being prepared for it. Much of it seemed vacant but some buildings still had some residents or activities. It really looked strange to see this all surreounded by ultra-sleek and modern buildings from all sides in what is one of the most expensive and prime locations in all of Guangzhou


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*



What it's probably going to turn into


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

How do you find these tower block neighbourhoods? I'd imagine your average European would be horrified. However from what I've seen in Singapore and Taipei they are pretty nice places to live and given the chance I'd probably choose a flat in a tower block like that rather than a private house.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> How do you find these tower block neighbourhoods? I'd imagine your average European would be horrified. However from what I've seen in Singapore and Taipei they are pretty nice places to live and given the chance I'd probably choose a flat in a tower block like that rather than a private house.


Average Brit definitely yes. Many other Europeans would probably find them ok just a little bigger . I stayed in one of those big high-rise developments (built perhaps around 2004, so not all that new) for a couple of nights in Guangzhou and it was great.

New developments are actually quite amazing with beautiful inner yards and facilities. Pretty much what you see in Singapore. It shouldn't come as a surprise because fundamental planning practices in Chinese cities are clearly borrowed from Singapore and Hong Kong for most part.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Great pictures. I'd definitely go for a house though - more human in scale and less anonymous.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Pansori said:


> New developments are actually quite amazing with beautiful inner yards and facilities.


I noticed that in Taipei's new resis too.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

openlyJane said:


> Great pictures. I'd definitely go for a house though - more human in scale and less anonymous.


Thanks!

Regarding houses vs highrises I don't think it's possible in cities of this size. If this was to happen you'd have an endless sea of lowrise housing continuing for hundreds of miles all across the Eastern part of China. Not to mention that it would be extremely inefficient for transport, communications and water supply. Highrise planning actually allows a very good amount of open public space on the ground which makes even the biggest and densest Chinese cities (or cities like Singapore) actually quite spacious for people on the street. More so than, say, London which despite being very much 'humamn scale' for most part doesn't have much space on the street level because everything is built up.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> I noticed that in Taipei's new resis too.


I would imagine Taipei is similar to Singapore when it comes to housing or not?


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## BreakIsOver (Feb 28, 2015)

Wow... Those cities are even better than cities in noncommunist countries (at least from what i see from your pictures)...


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

As in housing policy? From what I read Taiwan is similar to UK where it's very difficult to get on the housing ladder. Which is why so many Taiwanese live with their parents.

If you mean housing stock then it's a mix of mid-rises and high rises.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

BreakIsOver said:


> Wow... Those cities are even better than cities in noncommunist countries (at least from what i see from your pictures)...


That's a very odd way to measure countires: communist and non-communist. 

But you're right. First tier cities in China do look good and not only in my pictures. Some locations (like Guangzhou CBD, Shenzhen Houhai) perhaps haven't got many rivals in this respect on the global level.


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

El_Greco said:


> As in housing policy? From what I read Taiwan is similar to UK where it's very difficult to get on the housing ladder. Which is why so many Taiwanese live with their parents.
> 
> If you mean housing stock then it's a mix of mid-rises and high rises.


I meant urban planning policies. I'm looking at the map and Taipei looks a bit of a mixed bag. Not quite what the new planning in Chinese cities looks like.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

No, Taipei, is totally different. It's basically dense mid-rises with some high-rises here and there. Something like this -

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@25.0...m4!1e1!3m2!1sScvIf49N14b7kT2vk-jX6g!2e0?hl=en

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@25.0...m4!1e1!3m2!1sgKGjGTApaMkNwkpguRJeLQ!2e0?hl=en

Very Gotham like feel. kay:


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## ccdk (Dec 12, 2014)

In Singapore the government practically owns all the residential buildings (>80% public housing), so there is regular facelift and paint job, etc. Even old buildings look decent.
whereas in HK or Taiwan, land and properties are mostly privately owned, with poor management you see some run down buildings


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

ccdk said:


> In Singapore the government practically owns all the residential buildings (>80% public housing), so there is regular facelift and paint job, etc. Even old buildings look decent.
> whereas in HK or Taiwan, land and properties are mostly privately owned, with poor management you see some run down buildings


They are built and maintained by the government but owned by people who live there right? Singapore has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world.


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## ccdk (Dec 12, 2014)

^^ yes. They have a CPF (central provident fund) system, basically the employer/employee jointly contribute to the account. And the money can be used for many things, such as retirement, and buying a flat, etc. A lot of Singaporeans use CPF for down payments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_and_Development_Board


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou*

Continuing with photos from Guangzhou CBD

My guess is that they're preparing for demolition (Jinsui Road)



On the other side of the road. New residential developments and Guangzhou's tallest visible behind them


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

Reaching the core of the CBD with 4 supertalls visible in this picture alone



Xiancun Road


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

McLaren showroom on Xiancun Road



Pearl River Tower


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

While the Zhujiang New Town CBD is visually complete there is still a good amount of constructions going on





Xingsheng Road


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

Continued from Guangzhou CBD

A mass of new residential and office highrises. This has to be among the most prime locations to live in Guangzhou



Near the CTF Finance Center. The pedestrian pavement was blocked by materials and equipment without any warning signage so I just navigated through it


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

Looking up with CTF Center and other towers



A wider perspective of Huacheng Avenue


----------



## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

View from within the pedestrian zone which goes right through the middle of the CBD core. It's an integrated park with direct access to all main objects in the area. Overall the entire Zhujiang New Town CBD area is one of the best large-scale urban solutions that I have seen in person. 

While it's not so easy to show this in photos (as compared to impressive skylines seen from a distance which always look cool) the idea of Zhujiang New City is integration and accessibility which brings street-level accesibility to a whole different level compared it to, say, Shanghai's Lujiazui CBD or any other CBD in China (perhaps with a small exception of Shenzhen's Houhai area). This is easily the best CBD in China and arguably the world. A pleasant urban space you want to be at



While CTF will not be the world's tallest (not even China's tallest upon completion) it will have one interesting feature: *530 meters* of solid vertical wall which reaches all the way up to its highest point. If I'm not mistaken it puts it into world's top position and above Burj Khalifa by this measure. A good skyscraper to actually see and feel the real height. No fakes here, it's the real deal of a skyscraper


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

Continued. Guangzhou CBD

Open space at the southern end of the CBD. It can't be seen in a single photo but it's a good location to see all major landmarks in the surrounbding area: Canton Tower (seen in the photo), Opera House, Guangdong Museum, nearby IFC and CTF Center, other supertalls and CITIC Plaza far in a distance (opposite direction from Canton Tower)



Guangzhou Opera House designed by Zaha Hadid. Quite a marvel. Simply an outstanding peace of architecture and perhaps the most impressive modern building that I have seen in person. My only concern is that it doesn't seem to be maintained adequately: exterior seemed quite dirty and covered in a dust and other dirt from running rainwater in places. Some decorative details damaged and in a need of being changed/fixed. It must be an extraordinary task to maintain and clean such a structure with surfaces of various angles but since Guangzhou government decided to go for such a complicated architectural solution they should make sure they have means (cash) to maintain it. I hope they'll realize before it's too late


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

More shots from around the Opera House





You can spot yours truly in the bottom right part of the photo


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

Opera in the context of skyscrapers. This is one of the most scenic spots for those who love good contemporary architecture. Zhujiang New Town CBD is quite a showcase of top class stuff. Guangzhou outdid every other Chinese city in this respect. You're not getting this in Beijing, Shanghai or even Shenzhen (maybe in the future with Qianhai development)


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*

The last few bits of Guangzhou.

How many supertalls can you see?



Lots of pretty girls in Guangzhou


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

*Guangzhou CBD*



IFC



CTF Center at its tallest


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

A video of arriving at Shenzhen Railway Station before going to Hong Kong







Back to Hong Kong





The last couple of days I spent in Hong Kong were rainy and not good for going out with a camera. These are the last couple of shots from my journey. Causeway Bay





This is the end. Thanks for tuning in!


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## luhai (Jun 27, 2010)

Cool, I took a similar journey semi recently (2012). But hitting mostly historical sites and did took a few overnight T trains to save time. My photography skills isn't as good as you though.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Epic trip. Epic thread.

So out of all the places you visited which is the most impressive/best? Hong Kong not including I'd guess a split between Shanghai and Guangzhou..?


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Fab thread. Fab photos. Very interesting. Thanks!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Thank you! 



El_Greco said:


> Epic trip. Epic thread.
> 
> So out of all the places you visited which is the most impressive/best? Hong Kong not including I'd guess a split between Shanghai and Guangzhou..?


It's one of those cases where I'm really unable to make my mind up. We're dealing with big 10+ million megacities with all relevant attributes. It's not a choice between London, Manchester and Edinburgh but between London, Paris and NYC. It has to be between Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Each city has some very strong advantages. It's hard to make which one is the most impressive visually. In terms of living I would choose Guangzhou. Simply due to geography. Shenzhen being close second. You don't get that many megacities from where you can simply walk to Hong Kong


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Yeah I'd agree I'd go for Guangzhou too. Close to HK, considerable amount of old architecture and most importantly subtropical climate!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Yes, that climate plays a big role for me too. Greenery all year round is a huge advantage for me.


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## Bruno BHZ (Nov 15, 2002)

Wow! This thread is just fantastic!

You made some of the best pictures I've seen from chinese cities, especially from Guangzhou. In fact, I'm travelling to China in September for the first time, and your photos are the reason why I included Guangzhou on my itinerary. This city is not known in Brazil, and I was amazed when I saw your pictures in an older thread, in 2013. Eventhough I didn't memorize the name of the city, I never forgot the photos, and I came to your thread to decide where to go after I bought the airplane tickets.

There's so much information in this thread, I hope you don't mind me asking again some things that you might have already answered. 

I've seen you are a foreigner who doesn't live in China. So, how did you buy the train tickets? Did you book it in advance, using a travel agency? My plan is to travel Shanghai - Beijing by train 4 or 5 days after I arrive in Shanghai. Then, I will travel Beijing - Guangzhou, the same route you made, on a overnight train 5 days after arriving in the capital. I could go to the station in the first day to buy everything. Is this enough, or should I book way before?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

Bruno BHZ said:


> Wow! This thread is just fantastic!
> 
> You made some of the best pictures I've seen from chinese cities, especially from Guangzhou. In fact, I'm travelling to China in September for the first time, and your photos are the reason why I included Guangzhou on my itinerary. This city is not known in Brazil, and I was amazed when I saw your pictures in an older thread, in 2013. Eventhough I didn't memorize the name of the city, I never forgot the photos, and I came to your thread to decide where to go after I bought the airplane tickets.


Thanks! Glad you liked it. 

Good to hear that. Guangzhou is certainly a place to visit. After all it's one of China's top-4 cities and certainly for a reason. I will be in China at the end of September too. 



> I've seen you are a foreigner who doesn't live in China. So, how did you buy the train tickets? Did you book it in advance, using a travel agency? My plan is to travel Shanghai - Beijing by train 4 or 5 days after I arrive in Shanghai. Then, I will travel Beijing - Guangzhou, the same route you made, on a overnight train 5 days after arriving in the capital. I could go to the station in the first day to buy everything. Is this enough, or should I book way before?


You can buy all your train tickets at any major station. Doesn't have to be the actual departure station. I bought all my tickets in Shenzhen (including Beijing-Guangzhou). Unless it's some major holiday season it's fine to buy tickets a day or couple of days in advance (of course best to buy as early as you can just in case). You will need your passport to buy a ticket. You won't be able to use the automated ticket machines (they need a Chinese ID/Passport RFID chip) so just queue up at the main ticket counter (there will be a number of them open at any time). It won't take more than a few minutes. Since you can't know if the staff at the counter will speak English it's best to write the train number, date and time on a piece of paper. That will help to avoid any misunderstanding and delay at the ticket counter. So just write down all the trains that you want to buy tickets for and show it at the counter. And keep the tickets safely not to lose them.

There are many trains between Beijing and Shanghai so check which one is most suitable. Easiest option would be http://www.chinatrainguide.com/


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## sebvill (Apr 13, 2005)

Amazing China. I want to do this trip!


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## BEE2 (May 7, 2013)

What a fantastic trip! I am assuming that would be the longest bullet train trip you can get
on earth. By the way, may I ask whether you took this trip for business or on vacation?


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

BEE2 said:


> What a fantastic trip! I am assuming that would be the longest bullet train trip you can get
> on earth. By the way, may I ask whether you took this trip for business or on vacation?


Thanks!
I think this might indeed be the longest possible journey solely with 300+ km/h trains. The last short leg of Guangzhou-Shenzhen was done on the 'slow' Guangshen railway but that was a matter of convenience.

It was a vacation. Moreover centered around.... trains obviously 

This year I'm planning a slightly shorter but no less interesting journey from Shenzhen to Saigon via Guangzhou, Nanning and Hanoi. I'll have a GoPro and a Phantom 2 drone copter so should be able to take some video footage. If I won't end up detained by police that is.


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## BEE2 (May 7, 2013)

Pansori said:


> Thanks!
> I think this might indeed be the longest possible journey solely with 300+ km/h trains. The last short leg of Guangzhou-Shenzhen was done on the 'slow' Guangshen railway but that was a matter of convenience.
> 
> It was a vacation. Moreover centered around.... trains obviously
> ...


:nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts:

It seems that you love travelling in China. By the way, Are you ethnic Chinese? You sound like knowing China very well.

You may take bullet train from Guangzhou to Guizhou, whose line is so called the most scenic 
bullet train line in China. Check it out on Google and YouTube to see whether you like the 
landscape along the line or not.

I am jealous of you...:bash::bash::bash:


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Pansori said:


> If I won't end up detained by police that is.


I think you'll end up doing hard labour in a place with no name!


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## Pansori (Apr 26, 2006)

BEE2 said:


> It seems that you love travelling in China. By the way, Are you ethnic Chinese? You sound like knowing China very well.


No I'm ethnic Lithuanian. That's quite a distance away from China in all respects 

And I'm still very far from knowing China very well.


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## BEE2 (May 7, 2013)

Pansori said:


> No I'm ethnic Lithuanian. That's quite a distance away from China in all respects
> 
> And I'm still very far from knowing China very well.


:nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts::nuts:
Here is a thread you may have interest in.
China Set to Open World’s Longest and Highest Glass-Bottom Bridge

http://www.archdaily.com/635962/china-set-to-open-world-s-longest-and-highest-glass-bottom-bridge/

Keep it in mind, that glass bottom is made in China. Would you dare to walk through that bridge if you got a chance???:nuts::nuts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWb6EumIMOU

I do wish I could get a chance to travel by bullet train in China just as you did. Jealous! hno:


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## lawdefender (Aug 25, 2013)

Pansori said:


> Tianhe East Road looking towards Zhujiang River. The area is dominated by new highrise blocks however there are remnants of what was there prior to the current developments as will be seen in some of the following photos
> 
> 
> 
> ...




This area is called Xianchun, inside Guangzhou CBD. A few years ago, a agreement had been signed to rebuild this area with Poly property Group. After that, there was corruption case against the officials in charge, therefore, the whole rebuild process had been delayed till now. This year, some part of this area has been rebuilt for residential buildings. However, the rebuild of the whole area will take at least 5 more years.


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