Noisy Neighbours

Hard sleeper carriages are much better than they used to be. They still have 6 beds per compartment and whilst there's still no door there is now at least a wall separating the compartment from the corridor (in the past my feet used to stick out from the end of the bed into the corridor) and although the lights are still switched off at 10.30pm now there is a reading light in the wall above each bunk which you can control (in the past you'd have to have a portable book light and hope the batteries didn't run out). They're air-conditioned, carpeted and relatively clean - not things that could always be guaranteed in the past.

There's one thing pictures can't really capture and it is something that is very much a part of life in China - the noise. There's just no escaping the fact that life here is often very very noisy. These two lovely ladies were up at about 5.30am this morning and thanks to their shouting at each other as though arguing chatting so was I.
Many foreigners find the noise to be one of the most difficult things to adapt to in China but conversely many Chinese find the quiet in western countries to be very unsettling. Quite a few people I know say they like visiting Europe, Australia etc but they could never live there...too quiet!

10 minutes outside Nanchang on the Z65 Beijing to Nanchang train
You can see the two bottom bunks and towards the top the two middle bunks. The two top bunks are out of shot. Either side of the entrance are the foot rests for climbing up into the middle/top bunks.
(by Andy Meek)