Battle of 2 Business Classes on China’s Bullet Trains

Battle of 2 Business Classes on China’s Bullet Trains

Today I’ll ride 2 different business classes of China’s Bullet train Comparing their pros and cons And tour around the charming cities and town along the way. Please enjoy the trip! Hello! We are in Hangzhou. The “City of Heaven” in Marco Polo‘s eye Over the next 48 hrs, we’ll start a train adventure with Hangzhou as the start and end. comparing 2 different types of business class of China’s bullet trains. Here’s the route： We’ll ride the 1st business class from Hangzhou to Shanghai Then the 2nd business class from Shanghai to Huzhou …and finally back to Hangzhou and explore the charming city. Let’s start from the first train from Hangzhou to Shanghai We heard there’s a lounge for business class. Let’s check it out! We made it in But we only have 5 mins left before boarding… So we don’t really have time to enjoy… Anyway…more than the lounge, the real perk of business class is priority boarding A friendly staff take us directly to the gate Skipping ALL THE LINES Thank you! This train will take us from Hangzhou to Shanghai 1 hour ride, covering 159 km (99 miles) The fare is 219 RMB / person for business class The business class seats features the “egg-shell” style design Let’s go take a look! Here it is. Do feel like sitting in an egg shell… HUUUUUGE legroom Bye Hangzhou! Symbolic Chinese red seats… …with red pillows Reading light #1 Reading light #2 Outlet Slippers are provided (Don’t leave your phone here when getting off…) This should be the tray table Seems not… Well it’s a mini TV… The tray table is here F&B service on the way We get free drinks and a snack box Pork jerky Cashews Crab-flavored sunflower seeds Beef cubes Shaqima (Chinese honey cake?) Garlic beans Let me try the beef cubes Taste like real beef. The seat can be fully reclined Pretty comfy Though it’s a bit awkward to lie down in such as open space… Especially if there’s a stranger next to you… Time to look around the train There’s a restroom for business class. XL restroom …with M sized washbasin We are running at the speed of… …302 km/h See how smooth it is! The train can reach a maximum speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) On this 350 km/h train, we arrived at our first destination in no time. Welcome to Shanghai! We’ll have an overnight stay here and continue with the second train tomorrow morning. So see you soon! Good morning folks! We are at the Shanghai South Railway Station Today we’ll continue our trip on the 2nd train from Shanghai to Huzhou. The business class on this train features the suite type seats. Let’s see how it compares to the egg-shell type we ride yesterday. We arrived early today so we’ll have time to enjoy the lounge. Yeah we learned something from yesterday… There it is. We got a number plate Someone will call us when it’s time to board. Let’s check out the snack bar. Blueberry cookies Almond cookies Where’s my all time favorite… Coke Zero’s brother Time to board! Again a staff took us to the priority boarding path, …which somehow looks like a fashion runway🤔 This train will take us from Shanghai to Huzhou, a city in North Zhejiang. 43 mins ride, covering 119 km (74 miles) The fare is 203 RMB / person Similar as the last one Look what we encountered On the left—the legendary 1970s “Green Train,” On the right—its futuristic grandson China’s newest bullet train – Fuxing Hao Let’s get onboard! Wooo feels like first class on a plane Here’s my suite We departed right on time Bye Shanghai Seat tour time Yellow seats… …with yellow pillows Reading light Outlets A mirror Wireless charge Arm rest A tray table A hook Slippers are also provided The seat can be fully reclined to flat KIMOCHI There’s plenty of space and excellent privacy when closing the door Much better privacy compared to the egg-shell style seats We also get a free snack box Exactly the same ones as the last train We’re about to reach one of the highlight of the trip – the crossing of Yuandang Lake It’s a lake nestled between Shanghai and Suzhou. The scenery here is a dream come true for photographers. Just look at those stunning videos of the train gliding alongside the shimmering waters! After crossing the lake, we arrived at Suzhou. Let’s take the opportunity for a loo review M sized restroom With XS wash basin XL washbasin outside So which of the 2 styles of business class do you prefer? The Suite design ensures more privacy… …while the Egg-shell seats maximize legroom, and its 2-1 layout is perfect for couples. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! We are arriving at Huzhou The city is China’s Original “Silk Capital” Even today the city still produces 30% of China’s high-end silk. Bring home a pair of silk pillowcases if you are visiting 😃 We are at Huzhou Nanxun Apart from silk, the Nanxun Old Town is also what Huzhou is known for. It’s a classic water town, renowned for unique architectures and endless water canals You can think of it as the Venice of China The canals were used mainly for transportation purposes. But now they are used for… “Chinese Gondola” Along the canals were the Beverly Hills homes of 19th-century Chinese Millionaires Look at those private yards and gardens… We’ve walked around for quite a while… …so time for snacks. Dingsheng Gao Its name in Chinese means “certain victory cake” Traditionally eaten for good luck before exams or milestones. Let’s pray for a certain victory for our YouTube channel Osmanthus Cake Also eaten before exams… They believed the flower’s golden color brought good luck Obviously they don’t have fortune cookies at that time… One last thing to eat before exams is the noodles at this place. The name of the shop “状元“ literarily means “winning the 1st place in the exam” Yeah there’re a lot to eat before exams in those days… We got the classic flavor with braised pork belly and crispy fried fish And a bonus fried egg Thanks for the good luck! And it’s time to be back to Hangzhou. It will be a 40 mins short ride, covering 100 km (62 miles) There’s no business class on this train so we’ll take “first class” for the short transit. I know it’s a bit confusing, but in China’s train system,
“business class” is the top tier, while “first class” is actually second. WOW Is that how 350 km/h feels like? Our train is coming We are in Car 1 The fare is 68 RMB / person Seats are in 2-2 configuration Departure right on time So what do we have here in “first class”? A foot rest A tray table A hook A reclined seat But not fully flat Another perk of first class is that it’s usually more quiet There’re usually much less people in first class than second class …which looks like this We are approaching Hangzhou Look at those copy-and-paste buildings. Can you believe they are all residential apartments. Feel like each of the complex can easily fit the entire population of a Midwest town in the US… Yeah we are back in Hangzhou! The City of Heaven So what do we have in “heaven”? Well…the headquarter of Alibaba… Tonight we’ll stay at a high tech hotel next to the Alibaba headquarter. where robots handle everything from check-in to room service! #1 No keys needed here. The door opens by facial recognition. #2 Voice controls everything in the room… curtains / music/ temperature #3 Robots delivery everything you need #4 You’ll encouter robots more often than humans… Lady first, gentlemen next, robot last 😉 So any special food from the City of Heaven? My favorite is the fish head soup Look at the white milky soup! The soup absorbs all the umami from the fish, clams and mushrooms Scary but tasty Taste like heaven Thanks for the amazing food. Tomorrow we’ll visit the 2 most famous touristy places in Hangzhou. So nighty night Good morning One of the must-visit in Hangzhou is the Lingyin Temple. So we are here. This temple has quite a history It’s a 1,700-year-old Buddhist temple 1,700 years! That’s older than Notre-Dame! Right outside the temple, there are 470+ rock-carved Buddhas from the 10th-14th centuries. Each of them could be a masterpiece! We made it in The name of the temple was written by Emperor Kangxi in 1699. Wow Can’t believe there’re so many people inside Let’s make a wish Now we are heading to… The West Lake Hangzhou’s UNESCO-listed masterpiece Wait what’s that… I think I know these guys… Aren’t they the famous Mandarin ducks found in Central Park New York in 2018??? They drew so much attention at that time… So their hometown is the West Lake??? 🤔 Over there is the most famous spot in West Lake It’s called “Melting Snow on Broken Bridge” But there’s no melting snow nor broken bridge… Only people… PEOPLE P E O P L E Another famous spot is the Leifeng Pagoda …should be somewhere by the shore… Sorry I didn’t find where it is… …but it looks like this Thank you for watching till the end! We are Travel Within Reach. SUBSCRIBE us for more epic train journeys worldwide, together. See you soon!

Today I’ll ride 2 different business classes on China’s Bullet train and tour around the charming cities along the way, including Hangzhou and the Nanxun Old Town.

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Chapter
0:00 Highlights
0:31 Intro & map
1:10 Train 1 – Business Class (Egg-shell style)
5:56 Train 2 – Business Class (Suite)
9:56 The crossing of Yuandang Lake
12:18 Nanxun Old Town (China’s Venice)
15:12 Train 3 – First Class
18:19 The FlyZoo Hotel (All-robot hotel)
20:41 The Lingyin Temple
22:19 West Lake

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Train: G7590 (Hexie Hao)
Seat: Business Class
Route: Hangzhou – Shanghai
Length: 17:39 – 18:40
Price: 219 RMB

Train: C2375 (Fuxing Hao)
Seat: Business Class (Suite)
Route: Shanghai – Huzhou Nanxun
Length: 10:50 – 11:33
Price: 203 RMB

Train: D3103 (Hexie Hao)
Seat: First Class
Route: Huzhou Nanxun – Hangzhou
Length: 15:47 – 16:25
Price: 68 RMB

#chinatrain #bullettrains #chinatravel2025 #ASMR