老外眼中的中國火車

看到這篇文章的時候，我還真有點佩服老外了，怎么可以對中國的火車這么了解呢。這也難怪，對于那些背著背包游歷中國的老外們來說，乘坐火車不但舒適安全，最重要的是可以觀賞沿途的風景。那份閑適與愜意對于旅途中的人來說可是其它交通工具不可比擬的。

不過，老外就是老外，當然也有外行的時候。認為火車站的商店提供了所有需要的東西，而且價格與外面一樣；認為餐車是可以吃上一頓真正的飯的地方……這個……估計很多中國人不敢茍同。Anyway，大家對火車上的廁所的看法是完全一致的。哈哈，一起來看看Hans Schaefer經過數年潛心研究后寫的這篇在中國乘坐火車的完全攻略！如果大家覺得他說的是那么回事，就直接發給你的外國朋友以供借鑒吧！

For long-distance traveling， trains are probably the most convenient way. There are flights， yes， but they are expensive. Bus transport is available in most places， but it is often slow and crowded.

Four Classes

Hard Seat (Yingzuo， YZ): This is the cheapest way to travel. Cars are open， like in European commuter trains. Seats are arranged in 3 + 2 1)configuration， with seat groups facing each other.

Soft Seat (Ruanzuo， RZ): This class is not often available. In most cases， if there is any， there is one car of this class. Sometimes it is unmarked and only the 2)conductor can show you. It may be an ordinary hard seat car， where they have put some extra cloth over the seats and charge a small 3)surcharge on your hard seat ticket. Anyway， the biggest benefit of this class is it being less crowded than hard seat.

Hard Sleeper (Yingwo， YW): This is a sleeping car， for both day and overnight travel. Three beds above each other， with varying price depending on the position of the bed. The 4)mattress is a bit hard， and there is a pillow and a blanket. For long-distance travel， especially overnight， it is definitely worth its money.

Soft Sleeper (Ruanwo， RW): Some trains do not have this at all; most long-distance trains have only one such car. This class is expensive. A soft mattress， a linen clad blanket and pillow， a towel， 5)slippers. Sometimes even soap and a tooth brush. In the compartment you find teacups， sometimes even tea leaves， and a 6)thermos bottle with hot water.

A typical long distance train is made up of 16 or so cars. Half the train is hard seat， then comes the dining car， then the soft sleeper， and the remaining half is hard sleeper.

To Get a Ticket

Your first task is to get a ticket. In small stations this is not a big problem. Queues are short， and there are only one or two counters. Often someone will be helpful. The trouble is with large stations. There is a huge crowd， and there may be 20 counters. You definitely have an advantage as a European， being one head longer than the Chinese.

The Waiting Hall

Now you have your ticket and want to proceed. The next station is the waiting hall. Make sure you are there at least 15 minutes before the train is scheduled to leave. The hurdle is baggage security control. Your baggage is screened， just like in an airport. The waiting hall is， what the word says， a large hall for waiting. Look for a sign near the exit showing your train number. Often， chairs are in long rows， and then there is one row for every train. Most waiting halls are full of shops. Thus， if you need anything for your travel， you find it here. Phone cards for your mobile or public phones， soda， beer， biscuits， cakes， fruit， toilet paper， matches， soap， bag， cup， thermos bottle， you find all of it here. However， most of the food you will also find on the train and the price is not much different.

On the Train

In the sleeping cars the conductor will collect your ticket and give you a 7)voucher. The next morning half an hour before your journey ends， he or she will wake you up and hand back your ticket. Your baggage? 8)Criminality in China is low， but it exists. It’s best not to show your most expensive equipment. Have it down in your backpack. Store your baggage overhead; it is less easy to steal

it there.

Your Fellow Passengers

Most Chinese people are friendly， much more friendly than Westerners. Most of them are also interested in you. In most cases some of your fellow passengers want to try his or her English skills—the same questions over and over again. But if you ask them， they may not understand. Keep smiling! Or use the discussion to learn some Chinese! Point to things， say their name in English and ask “Hanyu zenme shuo?” It is fun， and it is effective. Soon you will have a whole crowd around you， everyone asking， answering， discussing your answers， and laughing. If you want to improve your Chinese， this is the thing!

The Food

You need something to eat or drink? No problem. There is a 9)trolley service， going round and round. They sell basic food. It is designed for Chinese taste， but it is edible. There are drinks like bottled water， beer and soda. There is food like biscuits， cakes， sausages， and instant soups. They may have 10)tangerines. Sometimes they even come round with warm food. It is all very cheap. The real treat， however， is the dining car. Every dining car is different. The cooks buy raw materials somewhere at the starting station or on the way， and then they prepare meals. Order Chinese dishes. However， if you want breakfast， they may want to show you that they can make a European style breakfast. Don’t even think of that! Order a Chinese breakfast， lots of fried eggs， rice porridge or

something similar.

The Toilet

When nature calls， your car has a toilet. Be prepared for the worst! (And be positively surprised sometimes!) The toilet is a hole in the floor with a footstep on each side. You try to balance， standing there， aiming at the hole， holding your trousers with one hand (maybe)， or you can try to balance without holding anything. Well， good luck! It also stinks， and often there may be no water to flush. Some of your 11)predecessors may have had problems aiming right. It may be a good idea to have boots. Oh， yes， you also need your own toilet paper. In sleeping cars， try to avoid the beds near the toilet. The smell may not be good， and there is the noise from the toilet door all night.

Getting off the Train

In the sleeper the conductor will wake you up early enough. Otherwise you have to remember the time yourself. Not every door will be opened. You leave the platform， go to the station exit， and breathe! This is the last place you have peace! First comes the crowd at the exit， which is again a typical Chinese queue. You show your ticket， and then you enter a new crowd: the sellers and the taxi drivers. They want to sell you everything: maps， newspapers， hotel rooms. The worst are the taxi drivers. If you do not want a taxi， it may be difficult to pass them. You will learn this after being there a short time. Taking a taxi is another story.

對于長途旅行而言，火車可能是最為便捷的一種方式了。是的，當然可以坐飛機，但是票價不菲。在大多數地區還可以乘坐長途汽車，但是這種方式通常速度不快，而且擁擠不堪。

四個等級

硬座(Yingzuo， YZ)：這是乘火車旅行最便宜的方式。火車車廂是開放式的，就像歐洲的市郊往返火車一樣。座位以橫排“3+2”的方式（譯者注：即中間是通道，一邊三個座位，一邊兩個座位）設置。每組座位相向擺放。

軟座(Ruanzuo， RZ)：這種等級并不經常有。在大多數情況下，如果有的話，也只有一節這種座位的車廂。有時候，這種等級的座位并不做標識，只能等列車員告訴你。它可能就在一節普通的硬座車廂中，只不過把座椅背上的棉襯弄得更厚些，在硬座車票的基礎上稍微加點價。不管怎樣，這種等級的車廂最大的好處就是沒有硬座那么擁擠。

硬臥(Yingwo， YW)：這是一種臥鋪車廂，適合日間或一整夜的旅行。三個鋪位由低到高疊放，票價不一，視鋪位的位置而定。床墊有些硬，床鋪上有枕頭并配有毯子。對于長途旅行，尤其是整夜的旅行來說，硬臥絕對物有所值。

軟臥(Ruanwo， RW)：有些火車根本沒有這種等級的車廂，大多數長途列車上只有一節軟臥車廂。軟臥票價昂貴。其上設有柔軟的床墊，覆蓋著亞麻質地的毛毯，提供枕頭、毛巾和拖鞋。有時候甚至還會提供肥皂和牙刷。在軟臥車廂里，你會看到有茶杯，有時還提供茶葉，還有一暖壺的熱水供飲用。

典型的長途客運火車由大約16節車廂組成。一半車廂是硬座，中間是餐車，然后是軟臥車廂，其余的是硬臥車廂。

買票

你的首要任務是買一張車票。在小站買票，這不是什么大問題。排隊買票的人少，而且僅有一兩個售票窗口（很好找）。通常情況下都會有人幫你解決問題。問題在于在大型火車站買票。買票的人擁擠不堪，排成長龍，而且可能會有20個購票窗口。作為一名歐洲人，你絕對有優勢，因為你比一般中國人要高一頭。

候車廳

現在你買到票了，要進行下一步了。下一步是到達候車廳。要確保你在火車既定的開車時間前至少15分鐘到達候車大廳。中間一道障礙是行李包裹的安檢。你的行李包裹要被掃描，就像在機場一樣。候車廳，顧名思義，是個等候列車的大廳。在靠近出口的地方，要尋找到標示有你要乘坐的列車車次的標牌。通常情況下，候車座椅擺放成幾列長排，每排對應一趟車。大多數候車廳里到處都是商店。因此，如果你旅途中還欠缺什么東西，諸如手機充值卡、公用電話卡、蘇打汽水、啤酒、餅干、糕點、水果、衛生紙、火柴、肥皂、手提包、水杯、保溫壺之類的旅行用品，你都可以在這里買到。不過，大多數食物你也可以在火車上買到，而且價格相差并不太大。

在火車上

在臥鋪車廂，列車員會收走你的車票，發給你一張憑證。第二天早上，在列車到站前半小時，他或她會把你叫醒，把車票交還給你。你的行李怎么辦呢？中國的犯罪率是很低的，不過偷竊行李的情況還是存在。最好不要把非常貴重的物品隨意顯露。把它們藏在你的背包里。把你的行李放在頭部上方的位置，小偷就不太容易偷得到。

你的同行旅客

大多數中國人都是很友善的，比西方人要友好得多。他們大多數也會對你感興趣。在多數情況下，你的一些同行旅客會想要和你練練他或她的英語（口語）技能，同樣的問題會被他們問了一遍又一遍。不過，如果你要問他們問題，他們則可能聽不懂。要保持微笑！或者利用談話的機會學一些漢語！指著某樣東西，說出它們的英文名稱，然后問“漢語怎么說？”這很有趣，也很有效果。很快，你的周圍就圍滿了人，每個人都會提問、回答、討論你的答案，并大笑起來。如果你想要提高你的中文水平，就這么做吧！

車上食物

你需要吃點或者喝點什么嗎？沒問題！火車上有人用手推車送餐，來回叫賣。他們售賣的是基本的食物。這些食物是按中國人口味設計的，不過可以一吃。飲料有諸如瓶裝水、啤酒和蘇打汽水之類。食物有諸如餅干、糕點、火腿腸和方便湯面之類。有時可能還賣橘子。有時候，他們還會來回兜售熱菜熱飯。這些都非常便宜。不過，真正大快朵頤的地方則是餐車。每列車的餐車都不盡相同。廚師們在始發站附近或者在途中買來原材料，然后在列車上烹制餐品。點菜要點中國菜。不過，如果你要吃早餐的話，他們可能還會說他們可以做歐式早餐之類云云。不過，這種好事，想都不要想！還是點一份中式早餐，多要些煎蛋、稀飯什么的。

廁所

人有三急，車廂內自然是有廁所的。要為最惡劣的情況做好心理準備（有時可以很嚇人的）。車廂的廁所是地板上的一個坑洞，兩邊各有一個站腳位。你要設法保持平衡，站到位置上，瞄準那個洞，（可能）還得一手拽著褲子；或者，你可以試著什么也不抓，（看看是否可以）保持平衡。呃，祝你好運！這個廁所還惡臭難當，經常還可能沒有水來沖掉污物。在你之前用過廁所的那位老兄可能瞄得不準（弄得一地污水）。穿著靴子如廁可能是個好辦法。哦，對了：你還需要自帶手紙。在臥鋪車廂，要盡量避免選擇離廁所太近的床鋪。氣味可能不好聞，而且廁所開門關門的噪音整夜都不絕于耳。

下車

在臥鋪車廂，列車員會很早就把你叫醒。如果不想這樣的話，你必須自己記住時間。并不是每個車門都開的。當你離開站臺，走到火車站的出站口前，盡情呼吸吧！這是你擁有片刻寧靜的最后一個地方！首先撲面而來的是在出站口擁擠的人流，這又是典型的中國式長隊（檢票出站）。你要出示車票；然后迎接你的是新一批擁擠的人群：兜售商品的小商販和拉客的出租車司機。小商販們什么東西都向你推銷：地圖、報紙、酒店包房等。最難對付的是出租車司機。如果你不想搭乘出租車，要擺脫他們的糾纏可能會有些困難。在中國呆上一段時間后，你馬上就能學會（擺脫糾纏）這項本領了。至于搭乘出租車的問題，則又是另外一門學問了。