Holiday travel highlights China's transport strength

China's extensive charging infrastructure is helping to meet this growing demand. The country now has more than 24 million electric vehicle charging facilities, forming the world's largest EV charging network. Highway service areas have about 89,000 charging facilities in total, covering virtually all service areas.

To handle the holiday peak, mobile emergency chargers have been added at key service areas, while drivers are being encouraged to leave after charging their batteries to 80 percent to improve turnover.

Faster connections and more convenient services are making it easier for travelers to visit more destinations in a single trip. Data from online travel platform Qunar showed that nearly 30 percent of travelers had booked hotels in at least two cities, while bookings involving stays in four or more cities surged 53 percent year on year.

The trend extends beyond China's borders. China's expanding transport links are supporting a rise in cross-border travel, with Chinese airlines operating regular international passenger routes connecting 177 cities in 80 countries.

The transport network that carries millions of travelers is also keeping goods moving, linking businesses and markets and sustaining economic activity across the country.

Even during the holiday, the Liujing operating area of Nanning Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region bustled with activity, amid the sound of ship horns and workers loading and unloading goods.

The increase in cargo traffic is closely linked to the opening of the Pinglu Canal. Stretching 134.2 km from Hengzhou in Guangxi to the Beibu Gulf, the canal opened to navigation on Sept 16, providing a shorter river-sea route for cargo from Southwest China to international markets.

Bulk cargo, including construction material, auto parts and grains, is being shipped from Nanning Port via Pinglu Canal to Beibu Gulf for export. On average, the route now handles an additional 20,000 tonnes of cargo per day.

"We expect to transport 200,000 tonnes of cargo during the National Day holiday," said You Tong, deputy manager of the production operations center at Nanning Port Development and Investment Co.

XINHUA