Management, transformation of Spring Festival travel rush a microcosm of China's modernization efforts
Editor's Note: China Daily presents a comprehensive series of articles that meticulously dissect Chinese governance across various domains such as politics, society and livelihood. These stories will thoroughly explain the essence of Chinese governance, the rationale behind its unique characteristics and its remarkable adaptability to China's specific national circumstances. The first article will delve into the cultural heritage, historical practices, contemporary evolution and societal implications of the Spring Festival travel rush, which is considered to be the "world's largest annual human migration".
Every year, as Spring Festival approaches, China embarks on the largest annual human migration on Earth — chunyun, or the Spring Festival travel rush.
During the travel rush each year, millions of people, from migrant workers to white-collar professionals and students, head to their hometowns to reunite with loved ones, upholding a tradition deeply rooted in Chinese culture. This year's 40-day travel rush, which began on Jan 14 and will conclude on Saturday, is expected to facilitate a staggering 9 billion trips.
READ MORE: CNY travel: 4.8 billion domestic trips estimated taken over Jan 14-Feb 2
The sheer scale of the annual movement not only challenges transportation networks, but also reflects the evolving socioeconomic landscape of the country. At the same time, the transformation and management of chunyun is a microcosm of China's rapid development and its unique path to modernization.
'We must be home'
For many Chinese people, Spring Festival represents the most important holiday of the year, as it's generally the only time most go back home to spend time with their families. It's a difficult time to travel, with so many people hitting the roads in their cars and others striving to secure seats on trains and planes at once, but many say the hassle is worthwhile.
Wu Jianwei, a 39-year-old migrant worker in Beijing, exemplifies this need. His train was scheduled to depart from Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station at 12:30 pm on Jan 14, the first day of the travel rush, but he left home at 7 am to ensure he arrived early.
This year's Spring Festival fell on Jan 29, and the holiday lasted from Jan 28 to Feb 4. The travel rush usually starts 15 days ahead of the festival and lasts 25 days afterward.
"I was afraid of morning traffic," Wu said. Taking a high-speed train, he could reach Ningcheng county in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, his hometown, in just over two hours — a journey that once took over 10 hours.
"The bullet train made a huge difference," he said. "In the past, I wouldn't have dared to dream of such speed. Now, I can leave at noon and have dinner at home the same day."
If he hadn't secured a train ticket on the 12306 booking platform, he would have had to endure a 7-to-8-hour bus ride instead.
"The trip is tiring, but when I think about seeing my two children and having a reunion dinner at home, it's all worth it," he said.
For Wang Qiuxia, a native of Jining, Shandong province, who works in Chongqing, the journey was even longer. Wang and her husband spent 17 hours driving home before the festival and nearly 20 hours returning to work.
"It's worth it," she said. "Spring Festival is the most important reunion — we must be home."
A Beijing resident surnamed Zhang took to the skies with his family, departing from Beijing Capital International Airport on Jan 27 to Chongqing. He specifically booked a flight on the domestically developed C919 jet for the experience.
"It was our first time flying on the C919," he said.
While his family was alternating between traveling and hosting their parents in Beijing, one thing remained unchanged: "The most important thing is that the family is together during Spring Festival."
Despite their differing modes of transport and destinations, Wu, Wang and Zhang were all heading to the same place — home — and for the same reason — reunion.
The tradition of family reunion during Spring Festival is an integral part of Chinese culture, making it an occasion that cannot be missed.
"Chunyun is a unique cultural spectacle of modern society, fully demonstrating the immense emotional power of Spring Festival," said Xiao Fang in a commentary article, a sociology professor at Beijing Normal University.
"Returning to hometowns and families during this time provides emotional nourishment through reunions and celebrations for Spring Festival for Chinese people, while also allowing us to reflect on the progress of both our families and the nation," he said. "The deep-rooted sentiment of home and country embedded in this tradition plays a crucial role in fostering social stability and harmony."
This emotional and cultural significance is mirrored in the logistical marvel that chunyun represents. Xie Yurong, a researcher from the Academy of Macroeconomic Research (AMR), highlighted the unique aspects of China's Spring Festival migration.
"Mass holiday travel and traffic jams exist in many countries, such as Japan's New Year and Christmas in the West, but China's chunyun is truly unique," she said.
"First, China's massive population results in an unparalleled surge in travel over a short period. Second, China's rapid urbanization has led to large-scale labor migration, with millions longing to return home during the festival, creating an unprecedented short-term surge in movement — a phenomenon not seen in other populous nations," she said.
Ji Jialun, a distinguished professor from Beijing Jiaotong University, said the uneven distribution of population and resources historically led to huge movements of people during a very short period of time in China.
"China had a large population with an uneven distribution and had witnessed large-scale population movements under national policies," he said. "As early as the 1950s, many people were dispatched to the southwest and northwest regions to support frontier development and large-scale construction projects. Later, campaigns such as those encouraging urban youth to go to rural areas also led to significant population movements.
"In the 1980s, with economic development, more rural residents migrated to cities for work, mainly from inland areas to more economically developed regions such as the capital city Beijing and the Pearl River and Yangtze River Delta regions, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hangzhou," he added.
Additionally, by the late 1990s, the expansion of higher education enrollment had significantly increased the number of university students.
During Spring Festival, all these groups, whether working or studying in other cities, would return to their hometowns, creating immense pressure on transportation systems, Ji said.
The uneven distribution of resources further exacerbated the situation. From the fourth quarter of each year until Spring Festival, which also coincided with the peak period for coal transportation, the overlap of freight and passenger transport had placed tremendous strain on the transportation system.
Reshaping of transportation
Although the large migration put tremendous pressure on China's transportation systems, its transportation landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent decades, reshaping the world's largest annual migration.
In 1980, the term "chunyun" was introduced to the public when it was featured in People's Daily.
Shortly before that, in 1978, China's road network was 890,000 kilometers, and its railway network was 52,000 km, with no high-speed rail or expressways. At the same time, China had 78 civil aviation airports.
By the end of 2024, the road network had expanded to over 5.4 million km, including 190,000 km of freeway, while the railway network covered 162,000 km — nearly 48,000 km of which are designated for high-speed rail. And the number of civil aviation airports had increased to 284.
"This massive expansion of infrastructure has translated directly into increased transport capacity, which is critical in alleviating the pressures of chunyun," said Xie, the researcher from AMR.
Professor Ji from Beijing Jiaotong University agreed. "The development of high-speed rail has been a game changer," the professor said. "Once hampered by mixed passenger and freight operations, the rail system now features dedicated high-speed lines that significantly cut travel times and improve service quality. These high-speed trains have not only enhanced safety and comfort during peak travel periods, but have also redefined the very experience of holiday travel.
"China's national governance system has enabled rapid railway expansion within just a few decades, with the rail network serving as a vital pillar of the country's infrastructure during major challenges such as chunyun," Ji added.
Apart from infrastructure expansion, the mobilization of national resources to ensure efficient services is also key. Unlike some countries where Christmas traffic congestion is largely an individual concern, in China, the government actively mobilizes resources to manage and ease travel pressures, Xie noted.
"When highways experience heavy congestion, government departments and service providers respond swiftly to ensure smooth travel. This high level of coordination makes chunyun not just a logistical challenge, but also a nationwide priority," she said.
Xie's insight has been proven by the extensive measures taken to manage chunyun's enormous scale. The sheer number of travelers places immense pressure on China's transportation networks.
According to the Ministry of Transport, during this year's chunyun, railway and air travel will hit record highs with over 510 million and 90 million trips, respectively. Road travel in private vehicles remains the dominant form of travel, accounting for approximately 80 percent of all cross-regional trips at an estimated 7.2 billion journeys. The rest may travel by waterway and long-distance buses.
Recognizing the significance of chunyun, the government has taken a proactive approach to ensure smooth operations.
As early as Dec 31, 2024, a national teleconference on the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush was held in Beijing. A special chunyun task force composed of workers from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the China Meteorological Administration, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and China State Railway Group was established to coordinate efforts across multiple sectors.
This high-level inter-agency collaboration is a reflection of China's modernization and its capacity for large-scale logistical management. The highly organized management mechanism — by government agencies and enterprises — strives to ensure people can travel home smoothly.
Since any incident on the roads would draw nationwide attention during the period, transportation authorities face the greatest scrutiny and pressure. Many industry professionals and workers sacrifice their reunions with family and friends so they can make sure things go well.
Dedicated staff, innovations
Behind the scenes of the massive migration is an army of dedicated professionals who ensure the smooth operation of the transportation network.
"During chunyun, almost everyone in the transportation industry is on duty," said Liu Dongmei, a researcher from the Research Institute of Highway under the Ministry of Transport. "From government departments such as the Ministry of Transport and local transportation bureaus, to service providers and even road maintenance crews, everyone is working overtime. Transportation companies and their employees are also fully mobilized. It's a massive collective effort."
As transportation workers remain on duty, foregoing their own reunions, their commitment helps ensure that millions of others can reach their families on time. Through their dedication, the massive movement of people across the country is transformed from a logistical challenge into a well-coordinated national effort.
As urbanization, high-speed rail expansion and evolving work cultures are reshaping China, chunyun will change for the better, transforming from a logistical challenge into a more relaxed and enjoyable travel experience. However, as long as family reunions remain at the heart of Chinese tradition, the holiday travel rush will continue to be a defining annual event.
Experts predict that technological advancements and shifting travel patterns will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of chunyun.
"Digitalization and green technologies are already transforming the way people travel," said Xie, from AMR. "In the future, more advanced transportation methods such as low-altitude flight systems could revolutionize the Spring Festival travel rush, making it faster and more efficient."
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Liu Dongmei highlighted the growing demand for travel during chunyun.
"As living standards improve, people's travel aspirations — whether for family reunions or tourism — will continue to rise," she said. "While some might expect demand to decrease due to more flexible vacation schedules, current data still shows an upward trend."
Liu Xin, a researcher from the China Academy of Transportation Sciences, emphasized the impact of smart technologies.
"Since the pandemic, innovations like facial recognition and the adoption of e-tickets have made travel more efficient and contactless," he said. "Big data platforms such as the 12306 railway system allow us to predict travel patterns, allocate resources effectively and ensure a smoother passenger experience."
For now, as billions board trains, planes and buses, the evolution of chunyun is not just about moving people, but moving them better, faster and smarter.
After years of development, chunyun is no longer as burdensome or challenging as in the past, but is now a more relaxed experience, reflecting China's unique path to modernization as it balances the demands of a mobile society with the enduring values of family and tradition.
"The future of chunyun will blend tradition with innovation, ensuring that the journey home remains as meaningful as the reunion itself," Xie said.
