No you should not be SOL. You can go to the main ticket office and find the right line to exchange tickets. Just look for the signs that say "English Speaking".

Now, technically you have to exchange prior to original train departure, but I've exchanged a few times afterwards, depends on how nice the agent is. Expect to pay a rebooking fee.

The fee is 5% (95% of your money back). They are not supposed to do a refund or exchange after the departure time of the ticket, but sometimes it can work out. You can turn in a ticket before departure time no problem except for finding the right queue.

Losing the physical ticket is an entirely different problem, at least under the old system you were definitely SOL. No tickee, no washee! With the new real-name system, I'm not sure if there is a database kept with the purchaser ID, that would allow presenter of that ID to get a lost ticket refunded/re-issued. I sort of doubt we are at that level of sophistication yet--essentially this would be a train e-ticket system.

There is a data base but they are not going to give you a refund unless
you physically present the ticket along with the ID valid for that ticket.

If you claim you lost the ticket, they would have to invalidate the
ticket in their system so it wouldn't work when you go through the
turnstyle, plus sometimes ...they have someone look at the ticket and just punch it, in that instance they would have no idea if its invalidated.

What next?

Given the number of fake tickets and all the problems with it, my guess is that even with the new tech, you lose it and it's gone.

Updated information on missing your train:

Source: Global Times [19:47 December 01 2010]

• Railway passengers in China are no longer allowed to transfer their tickets and use them on other trains if they miss their train, following changes to the Railway Passenger Transportation Regulation implemented by the Ministry of Railways on Wednesday.

• Only in special circumstances, such as the passenger being ill, can he or she exchange the ticket with the permission of the station master and only within two hours after the train leaves the station

• The regulations for high-speed train ticket holders are different, as passengers can exchange this ticket for use on another train within 24 hours after their original train departed. This means that high-speed tickets are still valid even if the passengers miss the train.

Thanks for the update, anacapamalibu. I believe all of the trains I will be taking between Shanghai-Nanjing-Suzhou-Hangzhou are high speed. So I should be covered in the case of a missed train due to a traffic jam delaying my arrival at the station an hour before the train is scheduled to depart.

Yes, you can definitely rebook on the next train out. I asked the agent the other day because I have a tight connection tomorrow, and they told me it was free to change.

Taxes are at 200 rmb now. Too much IMO as it screws up the pricing for shorter flights.

No, as shorter flights are 50+80 CNY, not 50+150 CNY.

feel like there's a 120 plus 50 in there too

PVG-SZX is a short flight. The lower price is for the REALLY short flights. Like under 500KM. ;)

No, it's not (longer than PEK-SHA, which is the often considered the benchmark route).

I have changed the main posting on Intercity Airline to reflect the new fuel tax rates. The cut between short and long (50 RMB vs 100 RMB fuel surcharge) is officially 800 km. However, I would not be surprised if agents and perhaps airlines directly are charging passengers the higher rate for journeys in the 500-800 km range.

ETA: mid-August 2012, total taxes currently
50 RMB Airport Construction Fee + 50 RMB fuel tax = RMB 100, journeys under 800 km
50 RMB Airport Construction Fee + 100 RMB fuel tax = RMB 150, journeys over 800 km. (A real bargain if on the PEK-URC flight!)

I have never heard of anyone being overcharged for YQ/YR.