Spring Festival Travel Rush Beijing China Editorial Photo

The Spring Festival Travel Rush, also known as Chunyun in Chinese, or Spring Festival Travel Season / Transportation Peak is considered to be the largest annual migration. It is the special period when China faces an extremely high traffic load, which results in great transportation problems, especially on the railway services. Millions of people working or studying out of their hometowns will be hurrying home to reunite with families as the Chinese Spring Festival approaches. The rush usually begins 15 days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year and 25 days after that. The Spring Festival Travel Rush in 2011 starts from January 19 to February 27. China’s high-speed railway is proving to be a big help during the Spring Festival, being both fast and convenient. The new Beijing South Railway Station (Beijing Nan Zhan), reportedly the largest in Asia, serves as the terminus for high-speed trains to the city, including the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Rail, which can reach speeds above 350 km/h.