China has officially opened the Chinese New Year travel season, expecting approximately 9.5 billion trips during the nine-day holiday period. This marks the world's largest human migration amid a still-tight economic situation.
On 10 Feb 2026 GMT+7, the Associated Press reported that the Chinese government forecasts the annual Chinese New Year travel period, known as "Chunyun," will see about 9.5 billion trips over the extended nine-day holiday, setting a record high.
In China's work culture, where many laborers work long hours including weekends, the Chinese New Year holiday is a precious time to reunite with family. Construction workers in Beijing choose to take a regular train that takes over 30 hours to travel back to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, about 2,000 kilometers away, to save money, even though a high-speed train would take only nine hours but cost much more.
Meanwhile, a food ingredient supplier employee in Beijing said this year's trip home is especially meaningful because he will meet his son's girlfriend for the first time. He hopes his son will marry within the coming year and prays for career success in the new year.
A breakfast food vendor in Beijing, originally from Henan Province, said Chinese New Year is the most important festival of the year. Missing the trip home would mean missing the festival atmosphere. She emphasized that the most anticipated part is reuniting with her children, grandchildren, and husband.
The Chinese government estimates that during this year's Chunyun, there will be about 540 million train trips and approximately 95 million air trips, with the remainder made by road travel.
Source: AP