Taking the sleeper, a long 13 hour journey, most of it through countryside. Countryside is a bit of a rare occurrence once you get outside the main provinces.
If you look carefully you may be able to pick out the farmers in the fields. Still, most of the people live and support themselves through farming, although China has tried to urbanise them and move them into big towns, spend money etc.
The Chinese dream is still a pig and a bowl of rice in most parts of the country.