Travelling by Fast Train During Chinese New Year From Guangzhou to Xian, China

Chinese New Year is the most important festival of all in China! Millions of Chinese start travelling back home around two weeks before New Year's Day. It has been termed the biggest human migration on earth and it happens annually. Therefore it is difficult to get tickets whether it is train, plane or bus if one does not act fast and in a timely manner. Unlike our trip last time in China where we failed to secure the return fast train tickets for our travel, we bought all our return train tickets this time!!! Traveling by fast train is the most popular mode of transportation for milions of Chinese in China. Therefore, in order to be fair for everyone and to discourage any company from obtaining huge number of tickets for any big events, people in China are only allowed to purchase their train tickets 14 days prior to their travle date. Y. was very diligent as he faithfully followed our itinernaries, sat in front of the computer and did all the purchases of tickets for us. Knowing that we would not have to endure the long ordeal on the bus like we did last year made us very happy about travelling in China in early 2025! Chinese New Year Eve! People across China have been busy preparing for today. Many have travelled far and wide and have arrived back to their home towns for their annual reunion with their loved ones. Some are still travelling. For us, it was a travel day for us on Chinese New Year Eve. We got up early and I wanted to finish up all the food in the fridge and do the clean up as well. We were rushing a bit. Y. was upset as we were rushing around so much before leaving the apartment. Next time I must remember to finish up all the leftover food in the fridge the day before departing for our trip, so that on the day of our travel, there would be no food to get rid of and no dirty dishes to clean up – AN IMPORTANT LESSON TO REMEMBER.

Thank goodness for Y's urging, we were able to get to the train station in time to catch our 2:20pm train. China never ceases to amaze us! Everytime we visit a city, we always find some mega new projects just completed. We were in GZ last year around the same time. This year, we found ourselves boarding the fast train to our next destination in the Guangzhou South Station, a brand new train station in Guangzhou! This new train station is modern, huge and beautiful! We are constantly stunned by the speed with which China could complete their construction projects in its cities!

The train ride was fast, clean and comfortable! Travelling during the Chinese New Year on the fast train posed no problem nor was it chaotic at all. Everyone had a seat, was quiet and considerate. We could work on our computer on the train or walk to the little snack bar for drinks and refreshments. The train was fast but quiet. At times, it was travelling at the speed of almost 200 km. Our destination was Xian, a distance of about 2000 km from where we were, a similar distance from Miami to New York. If we were to drive this distance, it would take us between 20 to 25 hours, might be even 30 hours depending on the traffic condition. But on China's fast train, it only took a little more than 9 hours, amazing speed indeed!

We loved travelling by fast train in China as we didn't have to deal with any driving fatigue or traffic jams. Instead we could relax and have the time to enjoy the scenery outside. Time flew by quickly and it felt like no time at all before arriving in Xian, around 10p.m.

The first impression we got was how organized and considerate this city was in helping the visitors upon arrival with their ground transportation. There was a separate designated area for passengers waiting for taxi and pre arranged rides. Most airports have designated area too, but few airports or train terminals installed benches for passengers waiting for their rides. Xian does, two thubs up for them! We checked into a hotel outside of the old city ; we really looking forward to our next few days here in Xian! RT Guangzhou to Xian China 012025