China expects passenger rush over Dragon Boat Festival

BEIJING - China Railway Corporation forecast on Thursday that 32.1 million passenger trips will be made during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 15.2 percent year-on-year.

The daily average passenger flow is estimated to reach 8.02 million during the four-day travel rush that starts on Friday, according to the ministry.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls on June 2 this year.

The festival commemorates famous ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Chinese people eat zongzi, a rice dumpling, and race dragon boats.