The Middle Kingdom

The crossing of the border between Mongolia and China was harmless, although the Chinese officials were somewhat peremptory (the word I would prefer to use is "rude" but we are in a foreign land where it may be customary for public officials to behave as though they own the place. In dealing with officious and generally unnecessary public servants, particularly in the east, we play by their rules.) So I don't really resent being told (not asked) to take my glasses off, and my daughter Anna could laugh off being told to stand up and made to say how old she was. What I object to is the principle that it is OK for public employees anywhere to be rude to private persons going about their lawful occasions.  

The bogie-changing sheds were interesting. The train was divided in two, and the two shorter parts shunted onto parallel tracks in a huge and ill-lit shed. The coaches were all disconnected from one another, and each one lifted up into the air, passengers and all, on hydraulic rams. The Russian broad gauge bogies were pushed out the way, and new standard-gauge bogies rolled in to replace them. There was a great deal of clanking and banging, and shunting back and forth. The coach shook violently and juddered as it was pushed back and forth, though the part while we were in the air was peaceful enough. Horns and bells were going off at seemingly random intervals, and because it was dark, we had no sense of what was going on. The high point of the entire process seemed to be an impromptu ghost show laid on by people in a compartment in the section of the train opposite us. Much use was made of sheets and torches placed under chins, to the general merriment of all.

8a.m: Datong - it is a sunny morning we have woken up to. We have sped noiselessly through the night to this provincial city, and we are back in the realm of modern railways. Electric traction and continuous welded rail. The station is swept clean. Everything is tidy. There are uniformed officials everywhere. I got shouted at when I stepped over the "yellow line" at the edge of the platform. Passengers Must Not. It Is Forbidden. It Is An Offence To. 

Early impressions of China as seen from an international passenger train? Poplar trees. Bicycles. Cleanliness and order at stations. Tremendous economic growth - everywhere, tower cranes. The countryside is
terraced and cultivated to within an inch of it's life: we have come through two countries where there is still much that is true wilderness. It's doubtful that there has been any wilderness at all in eastern China for a thousand years, perhaps much longer.
At 9.15a.m someone spotted their first glimpse of the Great Wall.

10.40 a.m: Zhang Jia Kou South station - it is hot and sunny. As the train passed through this city, we noticed several wide modern roads - but no traffic at all. There is much that is new here - big office buildings, huge tower blocks of flats in long rows. In the hinterland the land rises up to mountains - we travel though mountains now all the way to Beijing.

13.40 p.m: Approaching Beijing station. The descent to Beijing is through the most remarkable gorge, the railway running through a series of sixty-four tunnels. In Europe, such a gorge (comparable to the Gorge du Tarn in southern France) would warrant people travelling 500 miles to

see it. In America, a thousand miles. Here? No-one. It is not a tourist attraction at all. The bottom and sides of the gorge are farmed in strips, and there are little orchards on the valley floor. The scenery is stupendous - this last few hours is more scenic than the entire six days on the train from Moscow put together.
The railway ran out of the gorge, and the suburbs of Beijing were upon us. We think we know about large cities, but this one is a sprawling king amongst them. As the train drew nearer to the city centre, it grew much hotter, and the sound of cicadas was all around.