When planning rail journeys in China, note that stations do not sell all tickets for all services. Major stations (and travel agents in that city) will sell tickets to or from that city only. So in Beijing, you can buy tickets for trains that arrive or depart to or from Beijing only. This means that you will need to buy tickets as you go, and be warned that certain trains and at certain times of the year get booked out quickly. When using a timetable to plan complicated routes, note that even though some stations may show large numbers of passing trains, at many stations the only tickets on sale for trains that pass through are likely to be 'standing only' tickets. These get you on the train, but with no reserved place. You will need to buy seats or berths with the onboard conductor. This can be difficult if you are on your own (especially with heavy or bulky luggage) or cannot speak Chinese. I have been to intermediate stations where buying a ticket has been easy (e.g. the small city of Baoji in Shaanxi) and others where it has been a nightmare (e.g. Jinan in Shandong). Also note that while some hotels (especially 3-star hotels) will buy tickets for you, others (especially 4-star and above) will refuse to help. It can take several hours to work your way through a ticket office in China. The following may be helpful. - check if there is a separate soft class ticket office (if travelling soft class) - look for an English-speaking window (e.g. at Shanghai) if you cannot order a ticket in Chinese - check before joining a long queue. At many stations there are different lines (or even offices) for different services or for travel on that day or even for different trains. Ask someone first. - keep a close watch on your possessions.