Are dogs allowed on trains in China? If not, are they really strict about that?
Going to Guilin next week, would like to take my dog along. He's small and i can keep him under control. Trip is supposed to be ~20 hours.

Hey Slabo,

Pets can only ride on the train as cargo and not with the passengers. While I haven't done it myself, I was considering moving my dog some years ago and I looked into it. What you need is to have certification that your dog has had it's rabies shot. The railroad authority will only recognize the certificate from one authority, the exact name I don't remember but it is a 4 or 5 story tall building on Longxiang (龙翔)Road next to the Xizhan (西站立交) interchange. They will basically administer or re-administer the rabies shot if it's already been done before.

Next, you need to put him or her in a cage that is acceptable by the railway authority. Basic requirements is that the cage must be fully enclosed, sturdy, and have a tray at the bottom to catch all the wastes.

Finally, you need to take him or her, in the cage, to the cargo loading area behind the train station, present your papers, train ticket and pay the fare and that's about it.

I would highly recommend you go to the train station beforehand to make sure all the logistics are worked out and that there aren't any problems or surprises. Last thing you'd need is to arrive at the station the day of and find out your dog can't board.

Hope this helps.

Cheers~

i heard that pets can ride in the restaurant car, but that there's only a 50% chance that you get them back at the end of the trip. retreat to the hedgerows and sharpen your spines, my fellow pi-guh-men!

Actually, it's less than 50%, Hedgepig. However, I do believe they comp you with some vouchers for your next visit. ;-)