Riding a Chinese Sleeper Train..
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- I took an overnight sleeper train to Changsha, the beautiful up and coming capital city of central China's Hunan province, where I explored for a few days, ate some good food, and saw some amazing sights.
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You're too brave to take a sleeper train on a national holiday. Have fun in ChangSha.
It was super busy, especially coming out into Changsha station! Could hardly move 😬
i used to take this kind of train when i was a kid, but now i would choose the bullet train, because it's much faster and more comfortable than this one.
Yeah, can’t beat a bullet train. It was a nice experience though!
Hahaha, apparently you were shocked by the unexpected experience. The comparison between bullet train and old sleep train could relect the huge progress China has made in just one or two decades.
It served as a nice reminder as to how far the country has come! I took a bullet train home, but even so looking back on the journey I wouldn’t say the sleeper train was even that bad…
I’ve been told there’s a deluxe sleeper train that goes through Yunnan, that if you’re lucky with what carriage you get, you can see out onto the lake 😍😍😍
@@Harveyinchina I know it's on your to-do list. Looking forward!
The green trains are similar to Amtrak and VIA in Canada, but it costs over $500 to travel on those ! ...LoL
@@Harveyinchina One of my most memorable travel stories as a child was riding on one of these trains from SiChuan Chengdu to Yunnan Kunming, the journey was full of bridges and tunnels and beautiful scenery that you could take your time to admire, which is probably hard to experience nowadays by high-speed train, so if I had the time to retrace my steps, I would still choose one of these old green trains.
Thanks for sharing! I much prefer train over planes so really hope to do most of my travel in China this way (when I’m allowed out of Shanghai 😂)
Hope the situation there eases soon!
Nowadays, taking a green train “绿皮车” start becoming a sort of special adventure as the green trains will be less and less.
Yeah I guess it's nice to switch it up and take it instead of a bullet train every now and then. I'm definitely gonna take a green train where there's nice scenery!!
I wish they had sleeper trains that are bullet trains so I don't waste time traveling at nights to a destination the next morning. These green trains are no better than the Amtrak trains we have here in the US, but costs a lot less. How much was the ticket under $20usd ?
A sleeper bullet train would be great I think. I want to do the Hong Kong to Beijing journey, I think that could be pretty fun. The ticket was around ¥150 so yeah maybe just slightly over $20! Not bad at all
@@Harveyinchina A bullet train from Guangzhou to Shanghai is around 7-8 hours, so if they had a midnight express you can snooze on the train and arrive in Shanghai by 7:00am or 8:00am and you wouldn't have to pay for a hotel overnight or waste a day traveling during the day.
To be honest, I actually enjoyed this train because I can sleep well in any conditions, unless there were children crying. It's cheap, and you go to sleep and wake up, you arrived.
Likewise, I can usually sleep in most conditions. The thing that got me was the stopping and turning the lights on 😭
@@Harveyinchina You can choose a soft sleeper or a private compartment, but the price is not much different from the high speed train.
@@zywin131 Maybe if the journey has beautiful scenery I'd take a private compartment over high speed
上次坐绿皮火车大概是十年前，因为飞机和高铁都是在白天，要使用一天假期。这种火车的好处是晚上睡一觉，早上睁开眼睛就到地方了，再就是票价非常便宜。
Yeah, planes and fast trains are pretty convenient. The price was very attractive! 😁
Still better than many English trains! I'd definitely want to go on one... tick it of the list of experiences, as they probably will be phased out. I wouldn't fancy having a dodgy stomach though and requiring the toilet very often! haha
Yeah, glad I experienced it, and probably won't be the last time I make a video about it! Luckily I didn't eat too much spicy food so my stomach was fine hahaha
This was the case in China before the advent of high-speed trains in the country, which were 1/4 to 1/3 of the speed of today's high-speed trains and even less than 1/5 of the price.Even now, Now these trains do not have much passenger capacity anymore. More than 30 years ago, I once rode one of these hard-seat trains and the carriage was full of people who could not move and could not go to the toilet for more than a day, the conditions were so bad. as long as I'm not in a hurry to get to my destination quickly, I still prefer to take this kind of train, it's cheaper, I can see different scenery and meet different people on the journey, I actually enjoy this kind of train that takes its time to feel the time .Of course, this is not a good choice for business people looking for efficiency and quality of life.
It was a very interesting way of travelling! That's crazy that it was that full! I can't imagine not being able to not use the toilet for a full day.. If you're not in a rush, and the train isn't oversold, I can definitely see the attraction of chilling on one of these... Especially if the scenery is nice
@@Harveyinchina But it wasn't an interesting way of travelling, it was just the only way people could choose.Thirty years ago China was very poor and there were too many migrant workers and students going home for the holidays on the trains during the Chinese New Year, too many people had to squeeze into green trains or even converted wagon cars(a wagon car had only a few small windows, we called them "stuffy cars") , and some people in the crowd did just sit on the train for more than a day without eating or going to the toilet(they urinated in mineral water bottles when they couldn't hold it in). I have witnessed the development of China and I feel a lot of emotions.
I mean for me, now, it’s an interesting way of travelling. Being able to ride that train journey alongside those people, I felt as if I was experiencing a side of Chinese culture that I hadn’t experienced thus far..
@@Harveyinchina I'm so glad you enjoyed experiencing different cultures, Chinese culture is so diverse that I can't even say I know much about my own culture as a Chinese. Too many foreign youtuber only care about China's big cities and modernity, when in fact there is a unique side to China's smaller cities and rural areas, I often watch an American youtuber's channel Katherine's Journey to the East, she not only introduces another side of China to foreigners, it also gives us Chinese a sense of following foreigners to understand China. You entered China during the special COVID-19 period, so I've been following your channel. There really aren't many foreign youtuber travelling in China nowadays, so I hope you get better and better.
@@zywin131 Harvey introduced me to Katherine's channel. I totally agree with you, there's not enough videos showing what life is like for the average and rural people living in China. It's a fascinating and diverse country with a rich history, and I feel like many youtubers only focus on the surface and sometimes superficial. I'm glad Harvey is trying to present a bit more of a complete view.
This is the origin green train with very cheap fare.
Yeah, I think mine was around ¥150 RMB, so not bad at all!
Welcome to my hometown Changsha. There are a lot of foods and sceneries. I'm sure you will have a great time in Changsha.
Thanks! I had a great time 😁
OMG Harvey.. you're a brave.. that looks something like they should be phasing out and they probably are.. that squat loo always make me cringe.. i hope you didn't have to use it..
I’m used to Chinese toilets by now to be honest hahaha, the train wasn’t toooo bad, and still is much nicer than most back home 😂
@@Harveyinchina Can you do Asian squats? I'm Chinese and I'm used to the bidet toilet at home, now I'm not used to the squatting toilet in public toilets, I feel my legs getting sore after squatting for a while😂.
@@zywin131 I can, just about 😂 I think my squat is slowly getting better hahaha
欢迎来到我的老家长沙，这是一座不夜城，可以多体会体会长沙的夜生活。
Thanks! You’ve just given me the title for my Changsha video 😂 it really does never sleep, I had the BEST TIME EVER!!!
I have taken a soft train 1 time. There are 4 beds in 1 room with door and carpet. The light is adjustable. It's quieter and cleaner. And the bed is comfortable. 2 bathroom, one of them with western toilet.😂Dont know what other trains look like. I recommend you Gui Lin if you like. The mountains and rivers are beautiful.
I want to go to Guilin as soon as I can!!
真实的报道 很棒。如你所知中国人口有14亿之多 集中于某一天的旅行 还是很难做到特别舒适的 希望旅途愉快.
谢谢你
Soft sleeper have a western toilet. They are hard to buy though
I'll have to try it next time!
Cannot wait to see your next vlog Harvey. Well done.
Thanks! It's coming on Wednesday night.. it was a fun one to shoot 😁
im not gonna lie,i prefer slow train if it's not a business trip.It's like a small society,you can talk shit,make friends,enjoy the scenery along the way.In 2018, I helped the police catch a thief on a slow train.
Yeah I see the appeal. What??? Hahaha that sounds like a movie 😂
Maybe a future video comparing Chinese trains and the trains back in your home would be a good idea?
Not a bad idea 😜
03:37 can't you just respect other people's privacy? At least put a sticker on her face!
I don’t see a problem at 3:37
It is difficult to get used to the toilet used by countless people, and the squat toilet is the basic hygiene guarantee.😰
Yeah it was a bit difficult to get used to at first, I agree
I'm not sure I if I could have slept on that carriage, but being able to stretch out does let you arrive more refreshed than if you were in a seat. I traveled the old trains from Brisbane to Cairns, 18 hours in seats, arrived looking like Quasimodo.
Hahaha. It’s definitely a better alternative than sitting for the whole journey!
Riding the Greenskin Train is a time-consuming activity
Took so long!
It's interesting to see the difference in trains between this video and the previous bullet train video!
Definitely, they're miles apart!
I don't like to take the train like this. It is noisy and crowded.
Yes, perhaps. Nice experience though!
You are full of passion . Thank you for showing us this old style of train.
Thank you very much!
Should have compared the price with soft, ,deluxe, airplane, bullet train
Next vid I do on this subject I will 😁
Next vid I do on this subject I will 😁
我都三十多岁了 还没坐过中国国内的绿皮车和高铁🚅 是不是很可怜🥹
You're young, there is still time 😁
Come to India and take a ride of vande Bharat
You will enjoy
Okay I will 😁
@@Harveyinchina Thank you
It is a new train made by my country hope you will like it by this August we will have 75 trains.
Love u!
Ok
Good to hear 😂👍
@harveysvlog is in the corridor smell of smoke?
lol brave dude
😂😂
this is the og train
Arguably my favourite too hahaha
Changsha!!! my home city!
Watch my next vlog, you might like it 😁
@@Harveyinchina Have you tried Chayanyuese milk tea?
@@diezero2483 I think I saw that… I kept seeing a red and black shop everywhere, even in the train station, and it always had a massive queue! It was selling milk tea, but I didn’t try any this time
@@Harveyinchina :( yup, that's it. duuuude, you just missed perhaps the only famous eatable thing in Changsha, which is not spicy lolol.
@@diezero2483 Hahaha, I'll have to try it next time I come!
Great video 👍 thoroughly enjoyed
Awesome, thank you!
Is there have any electricity plug near bed?
Yeah
3:08 - this was the kind of train where I have had some of the best experiences in China.
People were very talkative, and I talked to both a young office lady, a young guy training to become a pilot, and a middle-aged father, who didn't spoke anything but chinese (which I don't speak), but instead pushed his daughter (about 10 years or so) in front of him, so she could do the conversation. The daughter was happy to train her english, and the father looked very proud.
I am forever grateful for these experiences. Attractions like The Forbidden City and the Terracotta warriors are, of course, impressive sights, but nothing beats talking to ordinary people.
I love these trains hahaha
It’s the way how the poor ppl travel lol
Is it?
@@Harveyinchina yeah I mean it’s cheaper than other type of trains and also you might have noticed the ppl on the sleeping train