The Interior of the Crystal CityBut despite its renown in the crystal business, few Westerners have ever even heard of Donghai, let alone visited it. Luckily, however, the county is easy to reach.
Donghai County lies between the cities of Lianyungang and Xuzhou, a major railway hub near the border with Henan Province. Because of its location, trains that go to Lianyungang from Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Xi’an all stop in Donghai. According to the Web site tielu.org, a ticket for a hard sleeper – equivalent, despite its discouraging name, to couchette class on European trains – from Beijing to Donghai costs 189 yuan for a 12-hour overnight trip, while the 10-hour trip from Shanghai costs 185 yuan.
Once there travelers can either visit Donghai’s hot springs or go on to Lianyungang, only half an hour away by train and known throughout China for its scenery, beaches and seafood.
But no one should leave Donghai without first catching a glimpse of a crystal ball seemingly straight out of a fortune teller’s shop or a Guan Yin statue so clear that it looks as though it could melt to the touch.
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