The world’s largest annual migration of people is going on in China this week as hundreds of millions take planes, trains and automobiles to travel home to mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival.
The first day of Chinese New Year falls on January 28,2017 but for many the aim is to reach home before the all-important pre-festival family dinner on January 27.
State media reported that travelling Chinese are taking whatever mode of transport is available – roads, air and waterways.
The word “Chunyun”, meaning the Spring Festival rush, was first coined by the Chinese media back in 1954, says the China Railway Corporation. Six decades later, that “rush” has taken on a whole new meaning.
This year, according to state media, “2.98 billion trips are expected to be made during Chunyun", which lasts from January 13 to February 21. The figure is up slightly from last year.
Passengers wait to buy train ticket at Shanghai's Hongqiao Railway Station as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel home for Lunar New Year in Beijing and Shanghai, in Shanghai, China January 25, 2017.
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