i was wondering if foreign students in china on x1 visas, receive discounts on train travel or any thing else. thanks

You can buy student discount tickets at any public park, garden or things like that, but you can't get discount train or bus tickets

Although it's a cheap country, China is not a mature welfare state providing concession fares related to culture. In useful things like transports, by train, short and long distance bus trips, the cheap tickets get you to destination, but forget about having the western frills attached.

trains and buses here are so cheap by comparison with uk and i think already subsidized. get a bus transport card (top up with cash), this gives discount to normal fare of 2 kuai. i think if you change bus within 30 mins you dont pay for the second but either if you use the card. when you compare the bullet trains with eurostar, over comparable distance they are a fraction of the price. take the normal trains and it is a cheap as chips.