The berths where you sleep are also where you sit. The compartment is not closed. All things being equal, our group will be together in several berths of four persons each. These may be coed. Some persons may be in a berth area with Chinese nationals, even nationals of the opposite gender.
Restrooms are at the ends of the cars.
Generally we will board the train with our luggage and a small bag of snacks, such as soup mix, chips and something to drink. There will be grocery stores which sell snack stuff at a very reasonable price near our hotels. This is a very favorable rate, and it has remained rather constant since last summer. The average annual income for urban residents on the mainland PRC is 1,844 yuan and 909 yuan for peasants. Be absolutely certain that you retain your conversion papers from the airport.