China’s Lunar New Year travel rush begins with record 9.5 billion trips expected

Описание: (10 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beijing - 10 February 2026
1. Various of high speed trains leaving from and arriving at a train station
2. Exterior of Beijingxi Railway Station
3. Various of passengers with luggage
4. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Tian Duofu, passenger:
“It has become more difficult for a big family to get together. After I start working, I realize such a long holiday is rare to have and we see each other less and less in person, which makes the Spring festival significant.”
5. Various of passengers outside railway station
6. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Liu Zhiquan, passenger:
“Yes, it’s tiring but there nothing I can do about it. The economy is bad. The slow trains are cheaper. A high-speed train ticket costs about 900 yuan (130USD).”
7. Various of passengers arriving at railway station
8. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Zhou Chunmei, passenger:
“I hope the coming year will be better. I hope my son could get married. The plan is (for) the wedding to be held by the end of next year. For myself, I wish I could make progress in my work. I wish for a good omen for the year ahead.”
9. Various of passengers in railway station
10. Various of passengers passing ticket gates
11. Wide of road traffic
12. Various of vehicles arriving at a service station
13. Various of people organizing the trunk
14. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Tian Yunxia, businesswoman in Beijing whose hometown is in Henan Province:
"The new year is a festival of the year, and if we don’t go back home, we won’t be able to enjoy the festival atmosphere. I want to go home to see my children, my grandchildren and my husband.”
15. Various of road traffic
STORYLINE:
China’s annual new year travel rush is expected to record around 9.5 billion trips during an extended nine-day holiday, according to the government estimates.

In a country where workers are expected to put in long hours - including on weekends - a few days off over the Lunar New Year festival is precious time.

Tian Duofu recently started working full time in Beijing, and said she has been eagerly awaiting the holiday.

“It has become more difficult for a big family to get together. After I start working, I realize such a long holiday is rare to have and we see each other less and less in person, which makes the Spring Festival significant,” she said.

Liu Zhiquan was waiting for a 30-plus hour train journey to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, some 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers) from Beijing, where he works in construction. He chose a slower train to save money: a high-speed train would take just nine hours but costs more than twice as much. 

“It’s tiring but there nothing I can do. The economy is bad. The slow trains are cheaper. A high-speed train ticket costs about 900 yuan ($130 USD)."

For Zhou Chunmei, who works in Beijing as a food ingredient supplier, the journey home means special excitement. She will meet her son’s girlfriend for the first time.

“I hope my son could get married. The plan is (for) the wedding to be held by the end of next year. For myself, I wish I could make progress in my work. I wish for a good omen for the next year,” she said.

Hundreds of millions of people are expected to return to their hometowns as part of the world’s largest movement of humanity, or “chunyun” as it’s called in China. Some 540 million of those trips will be made via train, and 95 million by air. The rest will be on the road. 



===========================================================


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...