Visit the Web site for the China National Tourist Office (see Resources below). You won't be booking your train travel from this site, but you will use it to find out which trains service this route at any given time.
Scan the page until you see ''Trains Depart and Arrive Shanghai'' (about halfway down the page). Now look for the ''Yichang--Shanghai'' link and click on it.
Note that the K251/K254 leaves Yichang for Shanghai. Write this information down. This train is usually listed second, the first train being the reverse route.
Open the Web site for China Trip Advisor (see Resources below). This is the site you will be booking your train travel with. You can also call them at 011 (+86) (559) 231 9660.
Go to the ''Help Desk'' link from the menu at the top right of the page and open it. This will launch a web-based form to be sent via email.
Complete the inquiry form, including your departure and destination cities, the approximate date you wish to travel and the train numbers you previously wrote down. If there is another train available at the time, the staff will alert you to the fact.
Submit the completed form and wait for a response. You should receive an email from a China Trip Advisor agent within a day. This email will inform you of your Yichang travel options, cost and reservation requirements.
