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SHOCKED ME (2)

Last time I was talking about my culture shocks while I was in China, so today I will continue talking about it.

Transportation

Train

When they want to travel to other cities or other states, most of the Chinese people will take the train because China is a very big country and it takes a long time traveling from place to place. There are many types of train in China. On high-speed trains, it divided into C, D, and G trains. While on non-bullet trains the train will be divided into Z, T, K, L, Y, and S. Which its descriptions down here

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High-Speed Type

G - High Speed

Usually 300 km/h (186 mph); Run long distances between large cities

D - Electric Multiple Units (EMU)

250 km/h (155 mph)

Run for long/middle distances; A few run overnight.

C - Intercity EMU

200 km/h (124 mph )

Run for short distances between two nearby cities.

Normal Type

Z - Direct Express

160 km/h (99 mph)

Run directly to destinations none stop or with a few stops at large stations.

T - Express

140 km/h (87 mph)

Limited stops at large stations.

K - Fast

120 km/h (75 mph)

More stops at middle and large stations.

Ordinary Fast

120 km/h (75 mph)

Identified with four digits starting with 1, 2, 4 or 5;

Stop frequently along the way.

Ordinary

100 km/h (62 mph)

Identified with four digits beginning with 6, 7, 8 or 9;

Stop at almost every station along the way.

L - Temporary

100 km/h (62 mph)

Operate only during the peak travel time, such as Chinese New Year and National Holiday;

Great possibility of delays.

Y - Tourism

100 km/h (62 mph)

Usually, run during peak travel seasons;

Destinations are popular tourism cities.

S - Suburban

100 km/h (62 mph)

Used for commuting between the city center and the suburban area in some cities.

Steam Train

20 km/h (12.4 mph)

Powered by steam engine;

Available only in the mountainous area of Jiayang, Mining Region in Leshan, and Sichuan.

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The train in China is very convenient and its ticket costs less than 50 CNY in normal type train ticket. What I was really surprised about is the standing ticket, which costs less than 20 CNY or sometimes less than 10 CHY. This is the special ticket, the ticket will be available only when the normal tickets were sold out or when it comes to the Spring Festival when a bunch of people needs to go back to their hometown. If you hold this ticket, you must stand all the way at the walkway, you may sit only when there is a free seat or when the seat owner goes to the toilet, but only a short time. However, this type of ticket is available only some trains. In addition, it was the first time I took more than 10 times traveling to other cities by train in my life. In Thailand, traveling by train will be the last choice for me to do so, but not in China. It changed the way I live my life completely, I always willing to go to Beijing, Xian, and other places by train and it made me know how advance China is.

Car

When you are driving in Thailand, you should not always honk the horn, unless you get into troubles. In China, honking the horn is a simple way people try to prevent the accident. When I first arrived my city, I was sick of hearing the horn’s noise all the time. They will never shop honking while they were driving. I asked my host family, how can they do that all the day and does not the noise interrupt other people? They replied with a wide smile that it is better to hear the horn rather than the ambulance car sound.

Bicycle

If Chinese people want to go to the place near their house or less than 5 km. far, they will bike the bicycle instead of driving. More than half of my classmates have their own bicycle parking in front of the school, they bike every morning to school. What really impressed me is the bicycle lance in my city, people can bike without the interference of the car. I which Thailand would build the lance someday. In Thailand, only a few people bike to work, study, or to the place near to their house these days, so it hard to see people bike in their daily life here.

Public Toilet

I was super shocked about toilet culture in China, even if I have heard about it before arriving, still wondered why they do that (wanna cry TT). It was the third day I was in China, the bus I took from Beijing to my city stopped at the gas station, the lady announced that we have 30 minutes for toilet and grab something to eat in the minimart. I and my friends quickly ran to the toilet but stopped immediately in front of the door. The smell of urine was so strong that none of us could accept! LOL! Some of my friends gave up and went back to the bus, but I and the other few decided to get inside. There was no line waiting for the toilet, we stepped in to see the free toilet room while one hand was used to squeeze our nose. I saw a room with a haft-close half-open door, I quickly ran to that room and open the door BUT there was an old lady sitting on the toilet and looked at me with a question on her face. I was super shocked! I want to ask her that why don’t she just locked the door but my Chinese was weak back at that time. It was a culture shock for me that people do not lock the door when they use the public toilet.

Next week I will come with more experience of the culture shock in China. If you want to know anything more about Chinese culture and my culture shock, you can leave a comment, so I can put it as the topic next time.

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