No, not the name of a dodgy film a few years back, but more importantly my order of preference for travel in China. Even after more than 50 trips to China in the last twenty odd years, I am still slightly apprehensive every time I get into a car to drive any significant distance in China. The younger drivers seem to be getting more macho and while they may be competent drivers themselves, it’s impossible to guarantee your safety against the various lunatic drivers you also encounter on the roads, and also pedestrians who often seem to have such a complete unawareness of cars that they appear to have some sort of death wish. I must be getting old, since I find myself telling the driver to slow down more and more often.
Trains on the other hand are fantastic in China. On time, clean, comfortable, fast – what more could you ask for. And safe too. The railway network is expanding rapidly in China and this provides an increasingly welcome alternative to other modes of transport. Perfect for working or sleeping.
And often better, and faster, than planes. Even the Chinese themselves joke that internal flights in China are always late, so what seems a relatively short flight can take up a large slice of the day by the time you’ve arrived on time, suffered a delay, and likely had a longer drive to and from the airport than if driving or coming by train.
I’m not sure this would be the same order of preference for travel within the UK…