When I bought the ticket in Hangzhou, I didn't pay much attention to the particulars. Instead, I was excited that I had found the ticket office (it took over an hour to do so) and successfully completed the transaction. It was a solid victory in my book. It wasn't until I got on the train that I realized I should have put more effort into specifying what I wanted when booking the train.
In the hard-sleeper section, there are 6 bunks arranged in each "hall" in the train car.
Hard-sleeper train car
The bottom and middle bunks have the most room, whereas the top bunk is like sleeping in a small coffin. You can't sit up in the bunk or really do much more than just lie there. The taller you are, the worse the situation is. Of course, I ended up getting the top bunk, which I have to admit is still better than having to sit through the entire ride (also an option).
Lying down in the top bunk
Since I didn't have much space in my bed, I ended up sitting in one of the folding chairs adjacent the bunks for most of the ride, looking out at the passing landscape. At times I would turn my attention to what the other passengers were doing in the car. I couldn't talk to anyone, so I tried to lose myself in my thoughts and observations.
Initially, there was a lot of energy in the car. People were coming and going (normally staring at me once they realized I was a foreigner), chatting, playing cards, prepping their instant noodles (their was free boiled water for noodles and tea), and getting situated in their bunks. As the hours passed, things quieted down considerably, though the silence was occasionally interrupted by one of the many cart sellers, announcing what they had to sell.
I noticed a few tricks of the trade for riding on the train. First, take out all of the stuff you might want to get at during the ride and put it on your bunk because it may become inaccessible when people put their bags up. There is a hook on the wall next to each bed where you can hang a bag, though it is near impossible to do it in the top bunk. Second, bring your own drinking water and whatever food you intend to eat on the train. They sell food/drinks on the train, but I'm guessing it is more expensive to do so. Finally, wear shoes that you can slip in and out of easily, as you'll want to avoid touching the floor whenever you climb in or out of your bunk.
You don't get much in the way of niceties on the train. There is a squatting toilet, shared by at least 2 train cars, that will get progressively dirtier throughout the train ride (bring your own toilet paper), a spout for getting boiled water, and a shared sink area for washing your teeth, face, etc. The beds have clean sheets and a pillow. That's pretty much it.
The train ride itself was uneventful. I wish that I had been able to speak to some of the other travelers, as that would have definitely helped me pass the time, but absent that, I was able to get by with an e-book.
I've since learned how to ask for a specific section (soft- or hard-sleeper) and bunk when buying train tickets. I was in a soft-sleeper from Xi'an to Pingyao, and that was a much nicer ride, and I'll be in a hard-sleeper (bottom bunk) on my train to Beijing tonight.
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