Expanding Reading（拓展阅读）
The Waiting Hall
When you get to your train station，the first thing you are requested to do is to line up to have your personal stuff go through the X-ray machine just like at an airport and carry them on to the other side.Animals，knives，flammable，toxic and explosive goods are forbidden in the train.
Now you come to the waiting hall.The waiting hall is，what the word says，a large hall for waiting.Once inside the waiting hall，it is very important to find your right waiting lounge.In your front above your head，you can see a huge electronic train schedule board providing timely information on the trains in and out.Though all the city names are all in Chinese，you still can find your waiting room(waiting lounge)land from which platform your train leaves by recognizing your train number and Arabic number(platform number)on the right of that train number.
Waiting Hall
In your waiting lounge，chairs are in long rows，and then there is one row for every train.Usually your waiting room is packed with passengers and you have to line up for the ticket checking and follow the throng on to the platform.About 30 minutes before the train starts，the announcements of check-in will be broadcasted.The staff on duty will guide passengers to check in and go to the platform.
Most waiting halls are teamed with shops.If you need anything for your travel，you can easily find it here—soda，beer，biscuits，cakes，fruits，toilet paper，matches，soaps，phone cards for your mobile or public phones，bags，etc.However，most of the food you will also find on the train and the price is not much different.Some stations have a left luggage office，and you may leave your luggage there for some 5 to 10 RMB varying with the deposit time.Make sure you ask if they are open when you want to return.Prices are lower in small stations and higher in large one.
If you have a soft sleeper ticket，there may be a soft seat waiting hall for you，with comfortable chairs and less people.Some stations also have special waiting halls，equipped with TV and free tea.These you can use are for a small fee like 10 RMB.