Finding himself living through the biggest railway building boom in human history, Welshman Thomas Bird quit his job as a magazine editor in Shenzhen and set out and see for himself what China looked like when viewed from the train.
One year morphed into several as he whizzed from high-tech Shenzhen to Xiamen at high-speed; “flew” into Shanghai aboard a Maglev; chugged through rural Sichuan Province on a steam locomotive and traversed the “third pole” en route to Lhasa.
Replete with wry personal anecdotes and sharp-witted observations, Harmony Express is a must-read for anyone interested in China’s twenty-first century, high-speed transformation.
Reviews
“The Harmony Express is a locomotive read and salute to the legendary ‘Oriental Express’, but with Chinese characteristics. With countless hours spent on trains, Mr. Bird has done a tremendous service seeking out the nooks and crannies of the world’s longest and fastest rail network, from small villages to giant, skyscraper-festooned cities, all plugged into this unfathomably rich honeycomb of rail. This buoyant and colourfully reflective book is a lucid reminder that China has a one-track mind to develop as fast as possible, even if its citizens always don’t hear the whistle blow or know where the next train will go.”
— Christopher Cottrell, Indo-Pacific Journalist
“In Harmony Express, Thomas Bird traverses the Middle Kingdom by rail and paints a vivid picture of a sprawling land in the lengthening shadow of Xi’s rule. From rockers who blend surf, reggae and Chaoshan opera, to a rebel photographer who shares Bird’s passion for riding the rails, he elaborates on a besieged liberal China. His witty, insightful and knowledgeable narrative is an essential source of information about the country’s continued struggle for modernity.”
— Harvey Thomlison, translator of Murong’s Dancing Through Red Dust and author of The Strike
Order the book
You can order the book from Amazon.
Or order directly from Earnshaw Books.
Bio
Thomas Bird holds a Master’s degree in Chinese Studies from SOAS, University of London and a cycling proficiency certificate from the Department of Transport. Having fled British winters for East Asia in 2005, he first cut his teeth in journalism as a magazine editor in south China before setting out as a freelancer. He has since written for a host of top international publications including BBC Travel , The Guardian and Geographical Magazine . A regular contributor to the South China Morning Post and Nikkei Asia ,
Bird has co-authored more than 20 guidebooks, including The Rough Guide to Thailand . When he’s not travelling, or daydreaming, he occasionally gives guest lectures. He likes train travel, craft beer and the teachings of Zhuangzi.
Links to Published Works
https://www.bbc.com/travel/author/thomas-bird
https://www.scmp.com/author/thomas-bird
https://destinasian.com/tag/thomas-bird
https://chinachannel.lareviewofbooks.org/author/thomas-bird/
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/dec/26/guizhou-china-city-guiyang-holiday
https://www.timeout.com/profile/thomas-bird
https://chinabooksreview.com/2025/07/31/travel-guides
The Bird's Words 