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The alarm clock that pulled Su Wen from her sleep on April 30 signaled the start of a long and eventful day. It was 4:30 am, giving Su just enough time to dress and wash before heading to the main railway station in Jinan, Shandong province.

The 21-year-old Shandong Normal University student caught the first train to Beijing and arrived just before 8 am, then boarded a subway train bound for Wangjing, in Beijing's north, where she would meet friends who would together drive to their destination.