Book with the official identity
Use the official 12306 service or a trusted booking channel. Enter the passenger name and passport number exactly. Confirm the city, full station name, date, train number, and arrival station before paying.
SCENE 11 INTERCITY TRAVEL
Taking a high-speed train
Carry your passport, find the right gate, and board the correct carriage.
MOST IMPORTANTBring the original passport used to book
Start ↓车次 · TRAING1236上海虹桥12号检票口
站台 6 · PLATFORM 6
BOARD WITH护照PASSPORT
BEFORE YOU START · HIGH-SPEED RAIL
From booking to the correct seat
Chinese railway tickets use real-name identification. Your original passport is the travel credential, and large stations require enough time for security, identity checks, and walking to the gate.
Go to the correct station early
Cities often have several railway stations with similar names. Arrive with time for queues, baggage security, and a staffed identity-check lane if the passport gate does not read your document.
Find the waiting area and gate
Match your train number and departure time on the display. Watch for the waiting hall, gate number, boarding status, and any platform change. Ticket checks stop before departure.
Board the right carriage and seat
At the platform, follow carriage numbers marked on the floor or train. Inside, match the carriage, row, and seat letter. Keep the passport available when exiting the destination station.
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COMMON PROBLEMS
What catches visitors out
An itinerary sheet is not a ticket
For an e-ticket, use the valid passport that was used to buy it. A printed itinerary or reimbursement receipt cannot replace the identity document.
Right city, wrong station
Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and other cities have multiple major stations. Save the complete Chinese station name.
Arriving at the gate too late
The station may stop checking tickets before the departure time. Leave a generous buffer, especially on your first trip or during holidays.
NEXTLearn only the Chinese you may need to say.
Start the lesson ↓YOUR ROUTE
From booking to your seat
STEP 01 · TICKET & PASSPORT
Buy online—or ask at the counter
🛂
YOUR PASSPORT IS THE KEYUse the original ID document used to buy the ticket.
Official 12306 ↗An itinerary sheet or booking screenshot is useful for reference, but it is not your boarding ID.
STEP 02 · ENTER
Signs and instructions at the station
IDENTITY CHECK请出示护照。Qǐng chūshì hùzhào.
Please show your passport.
SECURITY请把行李放上去。Qǐng bǎ xínglǐ fàng shàngqu.
Please put your luggage on the belt.
WAIT还没开始检票。Hái méi kāishǐ jiǎnpiào.
Ticket checking hasn’t started yet.
BOARD NOW现在开始检票。Xiànzài kāishǐ jiǎnpiào.
Ticket checking has started.
STEP 03 + 04 · FIND YOUR TRAIN & SEAT
Enter the numbers from your ticket
Tap any field below. The Chinese phrases, pinyin, audio, and dialogue will update automatically.
Where is Ticket Gate 12?
Where is Platform 6?
Where is Carriage 08?
Where is Seat 12A?
REAL SCENE · LISTEN & SPEAK
Getting to your carriage
At a Chinese high-speed rail boarding gate: show the original passport used for booking, then ask for the gate or carriage.
Set up speaking practice
Allow microphone access once. Your voice is used by the browser to recognize the sentence.
1·2·3
Listen → Practice → Check: hear the model, speak the sentence, then use the recognized words and match score to improve.
You · Passenger请问，十二号检票口在哪里？Qǐngwèn, shí’èr hào jiǎnpiàokǒu zài nǎlǐ?
Excuse me, where is Ticket Gate 12?
Railway staff一直走，在右边。Yìzhí zǒu, zài yòubian.
Go straight. It’s on the right.
Railway staff请出示护照。Qǐng chūshì hùzhào.
Please show your passport.
You · Passenger这是我的护照。Zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào.
Here is my passport.
You · Passenger八号车厢在哪里？bā hào chēxiāng zài nǎlǐ?
Where is Carriage 08?
Railway staff往前走。Wǎng qián zǒu.
Go forward.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
Missed train, change, or refund
G1236
出发
出发
SCENE COMPLETE