Several passengers with standing tickets doze off in an aisle on the K68-train, headed from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, to Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Jan. 19, 2013. An online appeal to lower the price of standing tickets, received the support of some 150.000 netizens. A survey showed that more than 90% people favor the proposal for the simple reason of different prices enjoying different onboard services. Most of the standing ticket holders are migrant workers, and railway authorities should take care of this special group. The opposition on the other hand holds that the number of standing tickets should be limited and not lowered out of overcrowding and safety concerns. [Photo/Xinhua]

Passengers who only hold a standing ticket take a rest in the corridor connection aboard the K814 train from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, to Chongqing Municipality, on Jan. 17, 2013. An online appeal to lower the price of standing tickets, received the support of some 150.000 netizens. A survey showed that more than 90% people favor the proposal for the simple reason of different prices enjoying different onboard services. Most of the standing ticket holders are migrant workers, and railway authorities should take care of this special group. The opposition on the other hand holds that the number of standing tickets should be limited and not lowered out of overcrowding and safety concerns. [Photo/Xinhua]

Passengers who only hold a standing ticket take a rest in the corridor connection aboard the K814 train from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, to Chongqing Municipality, on Jan. 17, 2013. Construction worker Pu Dagang (above) and a fellow villager are scrunched into a corner of the K814 train from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, to Chongqing Municipality, on Jan. 17, 2013. He boarded the train at Guangzhou Station, and reached Chongqing after more than 30 hours. Upon arrival there, Pu has to transfer to another train headed to Dazhou, Sichuan Province, which takes up to two hours, before finally changing onto a bus and spending some five hours more on there before reaching home, a village in Pingchang County, Bazhong, Sichuan Province. He is content for being able to go home even though his standing ticket only allowed for him to find a small corner to get some rest. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sui Bin (second from the left) and several other university students, holding the same standing tickets, stand in the aisle of a train from Hefei, Anhui Province, to Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Jan. 19, 2013. Majoring in Mechanical Design, Manufacture and Automation at the HeFei University of Technology, Sui intends to visit his sister in Qingdao, but to get there he has to stand for 16 hours and 22 minutes. When talking about the whole process of buying the ticket, he mentioned he’d booked it one week ago, but only to find there were one soft bed and one standing ticket left. He decisively took the standing one. “I have never enjoyed the soft bed because it is too expensive and I cannot afford it! I remember my first standing journey, my legs turned into spaghetti. Look at those who have seats, having a table before them, away from the crowd, that’s quite another feeling.” he sighed. But he now feels no pressure for the journey because he has had plenty of practice. [Photo/Xinhua]

Huang Tingting (center) stands in an aisle of the K68 train from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, to Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Jan 19, 2013. Originally from Huainan in Anhui Province, Huang majors in Law at Anhui Vocational College for Police Officers. She takes the train six times each year, and can fully accept the one hour journey. [Photo/Xinhua]

There are about 40 standing passengers on the K68 train from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, to Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Jan. 19, 2013. They mostly support the price of standing ticket being lowered since they cannot enjoy the same priorities as those sitting down both physically and mentally. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tu Xunpei cuddles his sleeping daughter next to the wash basin on the K814 train, from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, to Chongqing Municipality, on Jan. 17, 2013. They have to sit in a corner of the washing room for over 30 hours since they only got standing tickets. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wu Zhenlin (center) shows his standing ticket on Jan. 19, 2013 (photo above). When Wu gets off the train, he then has to take a bus for one hour before reaching his home (photo below). As a farmer, Wu has to go outside of the village to find a job that can support his family – especially with two children in high school. Wu earns about 2,000 yuan (US 321$) per month by working on a highway construction site in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. He asks his friend to buy this ticket (at the price of 173.5 yuan or US$28) because he is illiterate and could not book it himself by either web or telephone. “It is much better if I can get a seating ticket, but if I can’t, I am able to bear the hardship of the 28-hour-long journey. I am still happy since I will see my wife and children.” he explained. [Photo/Xinhua]

Li Siyi, a five-year-old, dances for her mother aboard the K814 train from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, to Chongqing Municipality, on Jan. 17, 2013. Her mother Huang Mei works in a brick factory in Foshan. They could not buy any seating tickets and have to remain in the corner of the carriage for over 30 hours and then travel two more hours by bus before getting home. [Photo/Xinhua]