Originally Posted by moondog

You can't book train tickets on ctrip without a Chinese credit card (i.e. ATM cards don't make the cut). But, it's pretty easy to book tickets ex-Shanghai. Just bring passport copies to a kiosk and you'll be good to go. Don't depart between 8a and 9a if you care about your sanity, and bring your own food (refer to the thread I started on this topic).

For PEK-CTU and CTU-SHA, use airplanes, for sure.