Once we arrived at the ticket counter, there were many people waiting and a long line. The long delay caused us to miss our train to Zhuhai. There was some good news that we were given the opportunity to change our tickets to a later time for free. We chose the next possible departure, but because that day there were so many people traveling to Zhuhai, the earliest train that we were able to get tickets was not until 11:30.

How could made such a big mistake? It is only because when Chinese nationals buy a ticket on the Internet, we are not required to go and get a paper ticket at the counter. We are able to use our ID number to buy the ticket on the Internet, and the ticket info will match with our ID, so we can use our ID to enter the Station directly. But, the China Railway System does not have a passport service, so foreigners need to present their passport at the paper ticket counter before entering the station. Next time you buy a train ticket on the Internet, take my advise, and be sure to arrive early and allow for at least 1 hour to get the paper ticket at the counter prior to boarding. Even the automatic ticket machine won’t recognize an international passport, so foreigners have no choice but to go to the counter. If you do not allow ample time for this process you are likely to end up just like us, missing your train, and having to delay your departure.

Let’s learn 3 sentences you would use in the railway station: 1. 请问，在哪儿取票？(Excuse me, where can I get the paper ticket? ) 2. 你好，我要取票。这是我的订单号(订票成功后会生成一个订单号)和护照。(Hello, I’d like to get the paper ticket. This is my order number and passport.) 3. 你好，我要改签。我想改签到最近的一班车。 (Hello, I’d like to change my ticket to another time. Can I change it to the nearest time?)

If you buy train ticket on the Internet in China

His original route would be to go to the Guangzhou East Railway Station and purchase the Kowloon Canton Railway ticket. He would board a train in the morning at 8:19, and arrive to Hung hum around 10:00 am. In the evening, he would catch the 8:00 pm train back to Guangzhou.

He later found a faster route which also starts at the Guangzhou East Railway Station. By taking the CRH (China Railway High-speed) from Guangzhou to the Shenzhen Railway Station, he would cross the border at Luohu , and then take the Hong Kong metro to Hung Hum and arrive much earlier. He told me, the first train starts at 6:24, and arrives to Shenzhen around 7:30. He would then cross the border, and because it’s in the morning and there are few foreigners, he was able to pass through customs in only 15 mins. He would then take the Hong Kong metro and about 40 mins later would arrive to Hung hum.  By 8:30 he was already in central Hong Kong in time to enjoy his breakfast. For the return trip back to Guangzhou, you don’t have to be in a hurry, because the Shenzhen Railway Station has trains returning to Guangzhou until 10:00 pm.

After listening all these, I have to say, when you like a place, your potential can be limitless. *Can not understand your meaning

Two weeks ago, a foreign friend and I traveled to Macau. This was the first time I had been to Macau. As you may know, we needed to enter Macau via Zhuhai. Normally, I prefer to buy train tickets on the Internet, through the China Official Railway Customer Service Central 12306 Website or the APP, which are both very convenient. For this trip, without the proper research, I took this convenience for granted and purchased both my friend's as well as my own ticket online. But, due to an oversight, we ended up missing the train. It was my fault, as I had forgotten that foreigners need to get a paper ticket at the counter before they can enter the Station.

Our train was departing from the Guangzhou South Railway Station and the ticket counter is on the first floor, but the entrance to the platform is on the 3rd floor. We were already on the 3rd floor before realizing that we needed to return to the first floor to change the ticket. We had to go downstairs using only two elevators which were overcrowded with many people waiting.