Lunar New Year in China: the great transhumance in progress, the country at a standstill

This evening, February 9, is Lunar New Year's Eve in Asia and particularly in China, where we celebrate with family the transition into the year of the dragon. The week-long holiday that begins this weekend for the Chinese is accompanied by the largest human migration with hundreds of millions of travelers on the roads, on trains and planes.

Giant decorated dragon lantern near Houhai Lake in Beijing, Thursday, February 8, 2024. AP - Andy Wong

By: Stéphane Lagarde Follow

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From our correspondent in Beijing

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Some 12.45 million Chinese took the train on Thursday February 8, there will be another 8.3 million this Friday, with a density in the stations that we have not seen for a long time. And in the age of 5G, social networks are overflowing with images of this great migration of “Chunjie”, the “spring festival”, which brings together families from the four corners of a continent.

Travelers wait for their train at Shanghai Hongqiao railway station, ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in China, February 7, 2024. REUTERS - NICOCO CHAN

TGV galore

A total of 1.8 billion tickets have already been sold, rail authorities say. “

Train tickets are so popular that many people choose to return home by car

,” the Chine Nouvelle agency puts it mildly. Videos of a sax player or a little girl skipping amid traffic jams on the highway, long hours of patience on a journey that begins the joy of reunion. Everything that rolls has been mobilized: from the army of bikers in the south, to the cohorts of new Chinese electric vehicles, including wheeled suitcase races on the quays and heavy goods vehicles in the north.

A truck driver apparently traveled 800 km with his tanker truck to see his elderly parents. A student chose the bike, not hesitating to cycle two provinces to join his family. The Chinese media take the opportunity to recall the progress made in terms of infrastructure. The country has shrunk with its TGV train. Old-timers remember that before 2011 it took more than 22 hours to go from Beijing to Shanghai, the same journey only takes 4.5 hours today. By 2025, China plans to expand its railway network to 165,000 km by 2025, including 50,000 km of high-speed lines.

Read alsoMigrant workers in China: Lunar New Year holidays weighed down by the real estate crisis

Nine billion trips

No more instant noodles, in any case they are no longer the only snack to eat on trains. On certain lines, via an application, it is possible to have meals delivered during stops at stations. And if there is no room left at the restaurant for New Year's Eve this evening, don't panic! The keywords “heat and eat” or “instant cooking” come to the top of search engines, with rich and varied holiday menus to order directly on online platforms.

The Lunar New Year holiday lasts until February 16, but megacities began to empty last month. “ 

20% of Beijingers have left. With the economic slowdown, what's the point of staying if there is less work

 ,” said a VTC driver two weeks ago in comments reported on X by a journalist from state media.

Among those who remain, animal guardians in particular are not idle. Gentrification has led to an explosion in the number of cats and dogs in cities. A doggie nanny says her schedule has been full for two months already. During the holidays, factories and businesses are on break. The country is almost at a standstill. A moment of communion, hoping that the year of the dragon will bring happiness and prosperity to all. A record 9 billion trips are expected to be made within China during the annual 40-day Lunar New Year migration period, according to the Transport Ministry.

Read alsoIn China, artificial intelligence now prepares for embarrassing interrogations during the New Year holidays

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