At Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station, the number of passengers passing through the city’s busiest transport hub doubled at the peak of China’s annual ongoing travel rush.

The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush – or Chunyun – was expected to have peaked on Sunday, two days before Chinese New Year eve when people typically have reunion dinners with their families.

Chunyun usually begins 15 days before the first day of Chinese New Year.

This annual human migration is the largest in the world. On top of people travelling back home, many holidaymakers are also hoping to make good use of the eight-day public holiday.

“It’s been about a year since I went home. I’ve been away from my parents and family; I’m really looking forward to it,” one commuter told CNA.

“After working hard for a year, it feels so good to finally go back home.”

CONSUMPTION EXPECTED TO RISE

For Yang Junhua, station master at the city’s Hongqiao Railway Station, he and his staff have to tackle the issues of high passenger volume and train frequency.

“During the 40 days of spring travel, Shanghai Railway expects to handle over 16 million passengers, averaging 400,000 daily – a 13 per cent increase year-on-year,” he said.

Yang added that railway stations in Shanghai are also planning to deploy an additional 221 pairs of train services during this period, while facilities have been refurbished ahead of Chunyun – including those that cater to children and nursing mothers.

Chinese authorities have estimated that a record 9 billion domestic trips will be made during this year’s travel rush. These journeys are expected to boost consumption of gifts, food, entertainment and transport tickets, among others.

Against China’s lacklustre economic backdrop, the spending boom this year compared with previous years will be seen as a barometer for the health of the economy as well as an indicator of consumer confidence.

Chunyun is typically seen as a powerful driver of China’s economy, which has suffered on multiple fronts including sluggish consumer spending and a prolonged property market debt crisis.

This also comes as more Chinese consumers have shifted from buying tangible items to looking for experiences and leisure, which has spurred travel spending.

URBANISATION DRIVE

The evolution of the travel rush itself provides a peek into bigger trends in China as well.

For example, up to a decade ago, rail used to be the main transport mode.

It was not until 2023 when the Ministry of Transport started including self-driven road trips in its official tallies of trips during Chunyun, reflecting the rise in car ownership in China.

A record 31.5 million vehicles were sold in China last year, a 4.5 per cent increase year-on-year. The government also rolled out subsidies to encourage people to trade in their old vehicles.

Authorities now expect 7.2 billion road trips to be made during the travel rush – almost 80 per cent of the 9.2 billion trips projected to be made across the country.

It also marks the first Chunyun since the Spring Festival was inscribed on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list late last year.

The scale of Chunyun also reflects another big trend: China’s urbanisation drive.

The massive movement of people back to the rural hometowns for the holidays is a result of the large-scale migration of people to metropolitan areas like Shanghai for studies, work or business opportunities.

“It’s been a year-and-a-half. Going back and seeing my family is so joyful, especially because Spring Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday,” a Shanghai resident told CNA.

“I’m looking forward to having reunion dinner, chatting, playing games, or even mahjong together,” another commuter said.