Chinese trains have four classes: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper. Hard seat is the cheapest, and so it's usually packed to the gills with locals. Soft seat is a rarity. Hard sleeper is the most economical way to travel long distances in relative comfort. Soft sleeper is the most luxurious and (by Chinese standards) exorbitant, boasting private cabins with four berths each, or so I've heard. So far, I've made two overnight trips, and they've both been in hard sleeper.

My first experience with the Chinese train system began at Beijing West Train Station, where despite delays at the Great Wall in the afternoon, I arrived with plenty of time to get to my train and find my cabin and berth. Hard sleeper cars consist of a narrow aisle on one side of the train car and stacks of bunks, three-high, on the other. There's just enough space to squeeze by between the people sitting on the folding seats on the one side and the bunks on the other. The bunks themselves are not quite as hard as "hard sleeper" makes them sound, and sheets, a pillow and a blanket (all of dubious cleanliness by Western standards) are provided.

Upon boarding the train, I exchanged my ticket for a plastic card indicating which berth was mine. With all eyes on me, the mysterious lao wei, I found where I was supposed to sleep, slipped my boots under the lowest bunk and climbed into my middle berth, where I quickly fell asleep. I'm told that the train stayed just where it was for at least two hours, which is apparently a rarity, and when I awoke the next morning, we were far behind schedule. The conductor, upon discovering that I was American, ushered me up the aisle to meet another American. (Actually, she was Sri Lankan, but she spoke English, so close enough right?) She had been studying Public Administration in Beijing(which undoubtedly has an interesting curriculum) for four years, and she translated some dialogue between myself and some curious locals, much to their amusement. Shortly before we arrived at Pingyao, four hours behind schedule, the conductor came by and returned my ticket in exchange for the plastic card. Pulling my backpack down off the rack, I alighted and headed off for the walled city.

My train trip from Pingyao to Xi'an the next night went smoothly. An elderly Chinese man who spoke no English volunteered to assist me in finding my hard sleeper car before returning to make the 12-hour trip to Xi'an in hard seat. During the evening, carts trundled up and down the aisle offering snacks, drinks and magazines. Again, I feel asleep early and awoke to watch dawn creep over the countryside.

All in all, Chinese trains seem efficient and reasonably comfortable, if they do lack privacy. Perhaps on some shorter journey, I'll try hard seat, but on the 16-hour trip to Chengdu tomorrow night, it will be hard sleeper again.