Originally Posted by
richardinmotion
Thank you. Looking at the train schedules, I see that the 17-22 hour trips are mostly at night, so it doesn't make a lot of sense, since I can't see the country outside. Flying may be the way to go.
Of course they travel at night; that's kind of the point.
But, "night" only lasts for ~10 hours during the summer months, so you'll still have quite a bit of time to gaze out the window.
You might want to add Xiamen to your list of potential destinations because the HK through train is among the best (non CRH) train in China, and the coastal route is quite scenic.