Chun Yun --- Inter-city travel peak before and after the Spring Festival

The Spring Festival (or New Year’s Day) of the Chinese Lunar Calendar (sometimes in January or February) is the most important day for Chinese people to celebrate with their families. Nearly one billion migrant workers swarm from their working cities back to their hometowns for festive reunions before the festival, then travel back to the cities. This creates a country-wide travel peak that must be specially coordinated by all governments in China 15 days before and 25 days after the Spring Festival. Most of the travelers are from underdeveloped towns or cities, looking for opportunities elsewhere.

Major railways and large metropolises like Beijing and Guangzhou are under the most traffic pressure, with ticket prices higher than during the normal season. Railway stations in Guangzhou are heavily crowded with home-bound passengers and under tight control.

Chun Yun is regarded as the largest periodic migration of human beings in history, resulting from Chinese values involving homeland, the urban-rural gap, and benefits related with Hukou (residence registration).

Source: Lifeofguangzhou.com

Editor: Ronald Li