- Title: China's mass migration begins ahead of Lunar New Year
- Date: 23rd January 2017
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING TOWARDS BEIJING RAILWAY STATION PEOPLE DRAGGING SUITCASES AND WALKING IN SQUARE SIGN READING (Chinese/English): "BEIJING RAILWAY STATION" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUING TO ENTER STATION PEOPLE GETTING TICKETS BACK AND WALKING INTO STATION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON THE BRIDGE WITH SUITCASES (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 22-YEAR-OLD LIU JINFENG SAYING: "Every year it's crowded like this, and (I) have got used to it. It's not bad to be crowded during the spring festival, but of course I still have to get back home." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON STAIRS OF BRIDGE VARIOUS OF 55-YEAR-OLD YANG XIAOHUI TIGHTENING UP HIS BAGGAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 55-YEAR-OLD YANG XIAOHUI SAYING: "Travelling back home during the spring festival is always like this. I'm fine with it as long as I can get a ticket." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE DRAGGING SUITCASES AND WALKING IN SQUARE
- Embargoed: 6th February 2017 03:55
- Keywords: China mass migration Beijing Lunar New Year going home transportation reunion
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00160AW7K5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Tens of thousands of people joined the world's largest human migration and left China's capital by train on Monday (January), making their way home for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holidays.
The 40-day travel frenzy surrounding the week-long Lunar New Year began on January 13, and will last until February 21.
During this period, the estimated total volume of people is expected to be almost three billion, up 2.2 percent from the previous year, according to China's Transport Ministry.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that about 9.2 million train journeys were expected to be made across the country on Monday alone.
Many people working in Beijing use the national holiday, also known as the "Spring Festival", to go back home despite the trip being an exhausting feat.
"Every year it's crowded like this, and (I) have got used to it. It's not bad to be crowded during the spring festival, but of course I still have to get back home," said Liu Jinfeng, 22, heading back to his hometown of northern Heilongjiang province.
"Travelling back home during the spring festival is always like this. I'm fine with it as long as I can get a ticket," said Yang Xiaohui, 55, from central Henan province.
Festivities in China this year will get underway on February 27, the eve of the Year of the Rooster. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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