Cycletourists in Xian

I spotted these guys in front of the railway station in Xian. I didn't have a chance to speak to them as we were rushing to catch a bus to Hua Shan ('The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven', and worth a visit.) Anyway I just took a quick snap and hurried on. I assume they were cycletourists of some sort, given the luggage and extra tires. It did get me thinking about he possibility of multi-modal touring in China with folding bikes. It would be a way of covering long distances quickly but still being able to see parts of the country by bike. Folders as seem to be widely and cheaply available, although I'm not sure of the quality. I'm not sure what the rules for transporting bikes on trains are. We mostly travelled by hard sleeper and there didn't seem to be room in the sleeping cars for a folded bike; you might be able to get a Brompton under the bottom bunk. I'm not sure how checked luggage and luggage cars work on the Chinese railway system.