The S2 Train Line, China’s Most Picturesque Railway (for 4 Weeks a Year!)

All aboard! Join me as I travel along Beijing's S2 Line, on the Hexie Great Wall Train, which runs along the old Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway, beside several sections of the Great Wall of China.
It's an incredibly popular route all year round, but especially for about 4 weeks during Beijing's spring time, when the route becomes surrounded by peach and apricot blossom growing on the mountainside.
There is a special viewing carriage aboard the train, with gigantic windows, and on its way to and from the rural suburbs of Beijing, it reverses along the line's famous zig-zag rail, and stops off at the historic Qinglongqiao Station. Check out this incredible route and take a ride with me!
If you like this video, please do HIT THAT LIKE BUTTON! And don't forget to leave a message. Thanks so much! Stay safe and keep looking after one another.
You can also check out my incredible journeys on Sichuan's Slow Train:
Ep 1:
• I Ride Liangshan's Slo...
Ep 2:
• I Travel 100km on a Sl...
And the brand new Tibet-Nyingchi Railway:
• TIBET VLOG4: The Train...
And China's Luxury Sleeper Train:
• I Ride China's Luxury ...
#railway #trains #trainvideo
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MUSIC:
Emsti-Tunes - Purposeful Optimist
Music provided by Tunetank.
tunetank.com/track/1833-purpo...
Cherubs (Instrumental) by Josh Woodward
is licensed as Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution
joshwoodward.com/
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Spring Awakening 2 by Frank Schroeter
Free download: filmmusic.io/song/10371-sprin...
License (CC BY 4.0): filmmusic.io/standard-license
Heritage Place (Instrumental) by Josh Woodward
is licensed as Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution
joshwoodward.com/

[@sleepvark1]

When I lived in China I preferred to take the train rather then fly, in spite of the fact that I’m a retired airline captain.

[@wggglggg]

不考虑搞一台直升机？

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Incredible views of the Great Wall AND during blossom season? It's a win-win! History and natural beauty go so well together. You wouldn't expect a suburban railway network to be beautiful, but here we are! This is exactly why more people should be taking trains. Trains encourage you to chillax as you wave goodbye to all the cars stuck in traffic. And depending on where you are whether it's this, the Caledonian Sleeper, or taking an Amtrak journey along the California Zephyr, then you can experience some exceptional closeup views only seen by train! Trains are my preferred mode of transportation for a reason

[@TravelinChina]

I always knew you were a train kind of guy!

[@katkrist6409]

OK, this train is on my travel list now. Thank you, Stu.

[@TravelinChina]

Have fun!

[@panyaboonc5621]

China........ Their super infrastructures, beautiful landscapes, amazing foods, friendly people, extremely safe and world class public transportations throughout the country all these have made it very convenient, interesting and enjoyable for travellers.

[@matsv201]

", extremely safe" Well .. not if you end up in a work camp

[@user-vp1vl6yp9t]

No worries. China will have values soon enough. Chinese will only buy iron ores from native Australians own companies. PLA will want to serve justice to Native and Black Americans and patrol American schools to keep American kids safe.

[@kinni143]

@@matsv201 If you just heard that but have not come to China, then you have the courage to fly to China first to see, say bad, if you are not a criminal, the police are not bothered to take care of you, do not see you are a foreigner!

[@matsv201]

@@kinni143 how would you know? Kriminanals? Like people who want to vote for a other party?

[@kinfoo6636]

Wow... beautiful China

[@nivzfrabx3718]

China it's amazing, thank you for sharing!

[@xuexue4421]

青龙桥站是我当年实习过的地方，那有前辈詹天佑，好怀念啊❤

[@tomiputra3720]

That is one of the most magnificent view

[@revrickbibletalks5546]

Well done, Stu! Appreciate your effort!

[@TravelinChina]

Cheers RevRick

[@minzhang9112]

哇 有机会一定要去❤

[@dennydenlim]

It’s fun to ride a train to visit the Great Wall Of China.

[@pbworld7858]

Stunning landscape.

[@bp879]

Great & beautiful train ride. Thanks!

[@muilingjeow]

Thanks

[@TravelinChina]

Thank you!!!

[@AmelieZh]

下次去北京一定要坐！

[@kl9518]

Always amazing to see the places you travel to in China.

[@AnitaQQQ]

四月六日我從北京飛回的香港。3月31號去了長城，很可惜沒有走這條線。下次一定專門去坐

[@TravelinChina]

下次一定！

[@heimuk]

i think the scenery will be great too during fall ❤❤❤

[@binxie7779]

So so so beautiful 🤩

[@elizeberthchang1246]

What a scenic train ride . Enjoyed the Spring blossoms and would love to do it one day.

[@TravelinChina]

You definitely should Elizabeth! Hope you get the chance.

[@hlau6210]

Thank you Stu. 有機會也很想去一趟。🤩🤩

[@TravelinChina]

永远不用谢！

[@SaintFluffySnow]

Wow! Tall Train Windows for enjoying scenery! (Over one's head down to mid-shin!)

[@TravelinChina]

Yeah, so good on this kind of route.

[@jeffreysoo8779]

Wow! Beautiful scenery. Will try this route if I visit Beijing during this period.

[@fire_horse]

very beautiful and amazing. I've never been on that train before.

[@TravelinChina]

You should try it if you get the chance. It's nice in the summer too. Probably pretty great in winter, but I've never been on it during that time.

[@cheungkukfong3147]

So beautiful

[@cheese-df1yx]

So beautiful train trip? Amazing! I will come to Beijing in late May. I am coming! China, fantastic country!

[@TravelinChina]

Have fun when you come!

[@user-qv6yk4fr3t]

去真実的體驗一定更美，謝謝分享

[@1mengzhou]

Hi Stuart, most excellent and informative video thank you. I’m also from UK localised working in Henan. Learn so much Chinese culture and language from you.

[@ngng7850]

風景很美，這旅程值了！

[@mikewant5230]

Thank you. This S2 Train line will be my second trip to The Great Wall the next time when I go to Beijing.

[@TravelinChina]

To be honest though Mile, Badaling isn't my favourite section of the Great Wall.

[@shermanng27]

beautiful scenery

[@TravelinChina]

Truly is... But it's all gone now. The blossom has already been blown away.

[@styleshine7947]

Thanks Stu . Such a beautiful sea of flowers. When I visit Beijing, I definitely will take this route for my train .

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Breathtaking views of the Great Wall and the apricot/peach blossoms! Reminds me of the stunning views of the Palisades (especially during Fall) I had when I rode the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line growing up. Now I live along a different suburban network called the Long Island Rail Road. With eleven branches, it is the busiest commuter rail system in North America! It is also the oldest railroad in the US still operating under its original name (as they've been called the LIRR since 1834). It doesn't have a special service like this for Spring (as the trains just go through pure suburbia) but there's a summer service called the Cannonball that runs express between NYC and the Hamptons/Montauk as many people go during that time to hit the beaches. April in the US is cherry blossom season, and Washington, DC is the most famous for this but believe it or not, ANOTHER place in the US has MORE cherry blossoms than DC's National Mall! And it's Branch Brook Park in Newark, New Jersey! Branch Brook Park has over 5,200 cherry blossom trees in EIGHTEEN different varieties, compared to the National Mall's 3,800 trees! You can easily get to Branch Brook Park from Newark Penn Station (on the Northeast Corridor portion shared by NJ Transit and Amtrak) on the Newark Light Rail, which kinda acts like a subway!

[@TravelinChina]

I'd absolutely love to ride the Hudson Line. One day maybe.

[@forestsenlin]

太美了满山的花 谢谢司徒的分享👍👍👍❤❤❤

[@jacquelinesiaw8926]

Awesome!!

[@joeli616]

Again an excellent one!

[@TravelinChina]

Glad you enjoyed it Joe

[@p.b.i.1342]

I’ve been there 2x. I loved it! Luv fr USA. I miss Beijing my fave city. I visited Hunan, Beijing, Guangzhou. I’ll visit Shaolin Temple in Henan next & Sichuan.

[@arturoluissolisarguello4249]

I am going to the Great Wall on January, thanks for the information.

[@TravelinChina]

Have fun!

[@BestluckYan]

回来啦！ 加油

[@ningboflyer3871]

Some suggestions for your next vlog: You could try out those slow REAL green-livery trains, dubbed '扶贫小慢车'. These trains usually operate within rural China, pass through less developed villages. The tickets are incredibly cheap and sometimes you'll find some 'special guests' onboard, like animals.

[@TravelinChina]

Done it! The links to those videos are actually in this video description. Check them out, I rode the slow train in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. There are two episodes. Hope you like them.

[@xiaoq8329]

@@TravelinChina I guess he might have watched these episodes and recommended them to you now without knowing that those are your products. 😂😁

[@mikeliu-te3vk]

The top speed of China's high-speed rail is 350 kilometers, which is also the highest speed of high-speed rail in the world, and the top speed of American trains is 180 kilometers.

[@azharidris7092]

i've seen video's of the same train route at the height of the blossom seasons.. it makes the Sakura season in Kyoto Japan looks amateur.. but yet they are so much more well known and world famous..

[@TravelinChina]

I think I'd still very much like to go to Kyoto during the blossom seasons. Different landscape entirely. So many different types of blossom growing around Beijing though. There are vast swathes of apricot blossom in Yanqing District too. Quite something to see! But literally gone in days if there's a strong wind.

[@chenxingyu1999]

すごい

[@christinalin5658]

南口啊！好亲切，我上中学的时候我们七年级和高一都会有一周去南口农场劳动，和奶牛近距离接触。那时候可没有这么美，但是也开心到爆棚！😂

[@kapochau9365]

你在火車內左右兩邊走也是zz。 謝謝帶我們進入桃花源

[@kaiki8490]

So beautiful. Should have done more drone shots. Are drones allow to fly there. 🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@TravelinChina]

Hard to do drone shots whilst on the train.

[@billinsf88]

Amazing landscape, I didn’t Know there are so many Cherry Blossom Trees in Beijing!

[@QQ-hp8mh]

It's peach blossom and apricot blossom, not cherry blossom, you didn't pay attention to watch the video!😏

[@billinsf88]

@@QQ-hp8mh ahhh, you are correct 🤭

[@QQ-hp8mh]

@@billinsf88 😊

[@chaining388]

There are many cherry blossom trees along the streets in Beijing city. Yuyuantan Park which has more than 3000 cherry blossom trees is very famous for its Cherry Blossom Festival.

[@baatarbeifong7869]

7:32 That's such cool detail on the seats if that is oracle bone script. I never considered how awesome peach and apricot blossoms might be. I wonder if seasonal foods are served on the train. It would be cool if there are trains with wide windows, like in this video, running in Xinjiang. I've been watching these amazing videos on BeiJingLaoLiu's channel that show some of the most amazing areas that remind me of the scenery in the "The Sound of Music" intro. as well as scenery in any American Wild West film (especially with kzbin.info/www/bejne/onLZkKmkaq6gr9U). Seeing videos that gorgeously depict the grasslands, lakes, mountains, forested areas, and even ranching culture in Xinjiang made me think of Stuart's Inner Mongolia series~

[@mikeliu-te3vk]

China's high-speed rail now has a total length of 41,000 kilometers, accounting for 70% of the world's high-speed rail length.

[@wuliwara]

Thanks for your sharing, this is very stunning and beautiful view!!! Must visit one day!!!

[@TravelinChina]

Glad you liked it Sam

[@qwertyuiopzxcvbnm9890]

In China I saw lots of very new trains, old trains, and this doesn't really belong to either. It's a quite special distinct train. Interesting

[@MrGanbat84]

Very cool

[@jinbolin1119]

❤❤❤❤爱了

[@TravelinChina]

❤

[@WORLDPEACE2628]

Welcome back to China!

[@lehelehe]

哈哈哈，你起的够早的，以前这车晚上回京的时候没法看，恨不得椅子下面都能需要躺人，挤的不行。

[@XiaoQianQian888]

👍

[@yenphung8809]

Nice Stu!

[@TravelinChina]

Thanks for watching!

[@user-gl2wu2fs8h]

👍👍 🇨🇳 💪💪 谢谢🙏🙏司徒与我们分享😍😍世外桃园！

[@TravelinChina]

永远不用谢！

[@patkelly6349]

I’ll be there in 2 weeks time. I will do this trip.

[@TravelinChina]

Excellent, you're coming at the right time.

[@patkelly6349]

@@TravelinChina thank you. I fly to Chengdu first. The next day I fly to Beijing. I have Chinese friends and they will show me around. I’m a little nervous not knowing what to expect but my Chinese friends are wonderful people. I’m from Australia. Will it be good weather. Not too hot I hope

[@TravelinChina]

@@patkelly6349 The weather will be mild/warm. But definitely not hot. It's a great time to come!

[@patkelly6349]

@@TravelinChina that’s great. Thank you

[@philipc239]

👍👍👍😀❤🙏🙏

[@hongqingxiang3374]

😀🙏👍👍🙏🙂

[@aidas2545]

Hi, do you think the blossoms will still be there around April 19 or 20? Thanks

[@TravelinChina]

Yeah they should be. Depends on the weather really. If it rains, they tend to disappear quickly.

[@peanut0brain]

Wow. Back then I had to take mini buses from Beijing to the great wall. Going back to China in less than a year!

[@user-fl6jv2qr7g]

好棒喔～謝謝你帶大家來體驗這趟美麗又奇妙的長城火車輕旅行～～❤超美的大美中國👍🏼！

[@marcolam1167]

视频颜色不太对，是因为hdr吗

[@jackalchung]

Hey I would like to ask, since I’m visiting Beijing in May, I would like to ask how can I get from Beijing City to Great Wall of China, by train or high speed rail? Thank You!

[@TravelinChina]

Take this train to get to Badaling. For other sections you'll need to take the bus or taxi.

[@jackalchung]

@@TravelinChina I would also like to ask how long is the ride from Badaling Station to the Great Wall of China, do you know how long does it take? Thank you for replying!

[@TravelinChina]

@@jackalchung Badaling Station is right next to the Great Wall. So, when you arrive there you just have to walk about 2 or 3 minutes to get to the cable car entrance. Or I guess you could walk all the way yourself.

[@user-ys5rb8uw7k]

司徒回来啦😊？

[@ggrivas786]

what app do you use for train tickets?

[@TravelinChina]

It's called Railway 12306, but for this particular train you can use a normal subway travel card.

[@TravelinChina]

Search on the app store for 12306, there's a China railway ticket app under this name. However, this particular train only requires a local travel card. You can of course buy tickets without a travel card too.

[@tinawu7146]

中国几十年植树造林的成果，我小时候还是秃山

[@luckychoy9799]

Are you back to China again

[@rebeccal1481]

Did you used the filter when filming?

[@TravelinChina]

I adjusted the colour in post, because the train windows were tinted.

[@rebeccal1481]

@@TravelinChina No wonder it looks not natural.

[@TravelinChina]

@@rebeccal1481 Sorry

[@tmfpmf]

So are you in China now or in UK? I thought you went back to UK ?

[@TravelinChina]

I just went back for 3 weeks. In China now. Got some UK videos that I haven't edited/posted yet. Thanks for watching!

[@tmfpmf]

@@TravelinChina good to know! Keep up the great videos!

[@rsliu4646]

I thought Stu was still in England visiting his parents, or it was just a short visit？

[@TravelinChina]

Just a short visit of 3 weeks unfortunately.

[@isaacbauman8174]

@@TravelinChina they can settle in south China, the life will be wonderful with English pension, and Stu can visit them often.

[@wggglggg]

不到长城非好汉，我还没去过。。。。。🥲

[@biubiugin9995]

这个视频滤镜是怎么回事？😂花海看不出花的颜色了

[@mikeliu-te3vk]

In addition, I want to remind you that your shooting equipment is yellow. I don't know whether it is the shooting equipment or you deliberately do it.

[@TravelinChina]

The glass was tinted, hence the colour correction is different this time.

[@user-jh1ex4if8w]

身在北京竟然没去看过

[@TravelinChina]

明年可以去！

[@harrysmith8515]

This train only cost 7 rmb or 1 dollar? In Europe, it could cost 100 Euros if it is in Switzerland.

[@TravelinChina]

Yeah, right! In UK this would cost a fair bit more!!!

[@nadasou]

反車，任何損傷，後果自負! 😮

[@alessiii58]

从英国回来了？

[@sashal1658]

我都发现了，你这是2019年拍的库存捞出来的🤣 别问我是怎么知道的

[@thousandwinddo]

建国同学好，在抖音我也是你的粉丝

[@TravelinChina]

谢谢 ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

[@pumpedlemon]

兄弟，您这滤镜啥色啊？失真严重

[@TravelinChina]

火车里的玻璃是黄色的，没办法，只能这样

[@user-du3gu2nm4q]

为什么你的影片颜色这么暗，看不出花的颜色

[@userwest626]

长城有这么大的火车站，这路牌，都是新的，大停车场，这把长城都破坏了，把·长城打造成小区的街心公园。 这哪是几千年的古建筑。

[@kinni143]

读读历史哈，詹天佑学一下

[@Alonebe]

i come here for fo ... lower ^^😁😆

[@peanut0brain]

Wtf u come here for?

[@Alonebe]

@@peanut0brain food ... flower 注意智商. 看不懂没关系, 请不要满嘴排泄物.

[@peanut0brain]

@@Alonebe I thought u r gonna say something bad about China. Next time write better LOL

[@wggglggg]

@@Alonebe hahahha😂

[@GoddyGoodman]

what？ 司徒建国 has back to China？LOL

[@TravelinChina]

Yes! Been back a while now.

[@GoddyGoodman]

@@TravelinChina i m in Hainai，will follow ur steps in 儋州 few days later，LOL. Isn't it short of ur time stayed in UK with ur parents？

[@TravelinChina]

@@GoddyGoodman Yeah it is. But I have a job in Beijing, so... Have a great time in 儋州! If you can rent a car, it's easy to find the amazing beaches.

[@xiaofeisong8568]

人们为什么都不用眼睛看风景，改成看手机了？即使风景就在眼前，也要通过手机镜头来看，简直不能理解。看到国内游客在落基山，也根本就不亲眼看风景，而是不停地拍风景，嘴里还念念有词，行为表现太怪了😂😂😂

[@kyleguo3362]

有没有一种可能 全程拍风景就是觉得太美 要拍下来记留作记忆？

[@peanut0brain]

Tell that to my wife!

[@user-zw5ii1fi6y]

都是要裝逼的，我覺得很多人對風景沒興趣，包括我。 我去了很多地方，但我都是拍點照片然後放朋友圈去裝逼。 而實際很多地方我根本都懶的去看。 目的永遠是裝逼。

[@xiaofeisong8568]

@@peanut0brain you’d better come with your wife together next time

[@lj2935]

你不是眼睛看了，觉得美，再拍下留作纪念的吗？

[@peanut0brain]

Glad we didn't have to see a grown man cry! That would be awful! 😂😂😂

[@TravelinChina]

If you want to see, there is a video of that floating around somewhere... 哈哈哈