Probably one of the most cramped trains rides I have taken in China, the Beijing to Guangzhou express was packed to standing room only. For the duration of my travels in China I bought nothing but "hard seat" train tickets. Some travelers thought I was insane doing extended 30+ hour journeys on a "hard seat", only being able to sleep in a sitting position in cramped seating areas. The only exception I made was a final journey from Qiemo (in the Taklamakan desert of Xinjiang) to Shaoshan (outside of Hangzhou), a series of back-to-back buses and trains that took me approximately 96 hours to complete, nearly crossing the entire length of China to do so.