Liu Zhiquan was waiting for a 30-plus hour train journey to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, some 2,000km from Beijing, where he works in construction.
He’s one of the hundreds of millions expected to travel to their hometowns as part of the world’s largest movement of humanity, or chunyun as it’s called in China, ahead of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 17.
“Things feel worse this year than last. The economy is bad and it’s getting harder to make money,” he said.
Liu chose a slower train to save money: a high-speed train would take just nine hours but costs more than twice as much.
Nonetheless, he chose to make the 30-hour journey to be home for the festival, the one time of year workers across the country take breaks and spend time with their loved ones.
China’s government estimates that 9.5 billion trips will be made during the 40 day-period around the festival, a record high, according to information from the National Development and Reform Commission. Some 540 million of those trips will be made via train, and 95 million by air. The rest will be on the road.
At a train station in Beijing, passengers were crowded in the waiting areas with large bags as they waited for their trains. Others snacked on instant noodles, an easy snack as stations provide hot water for free.
Tian Duofu, a young woman who recently started working full time in Beijing, said she was looking forward to the nine-day holiday, which begins Feb. 15.
“It has become more difficult for a big family to get together. After I started working, I realised such a long holiday is rare.” — AP
