On Tuesday, China began its largest annual population migration, kicking off the Spring Festival travel rush 15 days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
This year’s “chunyun,” or Spring Festival travel rush, is the first since UNESCO added the Spring Festival to its intangible cultural heritage list in December.
Over the next 40 days, an estimated nine billion passenger trips are expected, setting new records for both rail and air travel. This year’s travel period, which runs until February 22, will see 7.2 billion road trips, over 90 million air travel journeys, and more than 510 million railway passenger trips. On average, railways will handle 12.75 million trips daily, reflecting a 5.5 percent increase compared to last year.
During this travel surge, millions of people across China will return to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday with their families.
