People Travel During The Season Because...
文章日期:2011年1月20日

【明報專訊】Since the economic reform began in the late 1970's, China's Special Economic Zones (經濟特區) and its coastal areas have rapidly developed. Businesses in those places have provided people from rural areas with jobs. To earn more, thereby improving their living standards, people living in rural areas tend to work in places far away from their hometowns. They are called rural workers (農民工). They would rush home in the run-up to Chinese New Year for their family reunion dinners on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Because of education reform on the mainland, many students have left their hometowns to go to college. Chinese students' winter break is also their Chinese New Year holiday. Therefore, many students travel back home. They and rural workers are the largest groups of chunyun travellers.

Chinese New Year is a major festival, when Chinese people enjoy a two-week holiday. Because of economic development on the mainland, more mainlanders now can afford to holiday on foreign soil. They help strain the mainland's transport systems in the chunyun period.