Edward Mills

Get your tickets now if you are hoping to travel

By Edward Mills (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-12 08:00

Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 3 this year.

The celebration is the most popular on the calendar for the Chinese people at home and abroad as they welcome in the New Year as suggested by the traditional lunar calendar.

Many will choose to celebrate with their relatives, with tradition dictating there is a family feast on the eve of the New Year. Alongside firecrackers, special cuisine, couplets and red-colored decorations, spending time with their nearest and dearest is valued by Chinese people.

Others may take advantage of the week-long holiday to do a spot of tourism at home or abroad, with the rest of the year allowing for few similar periods of extended relaxation.

As a result of all this impending merriment and time off work, the number of people using the transport network skyrockets.

The Spring Festival travel season typically lasts from 15 days ahead of the lunar new year to 40 days after that date, kicking off this year on Jan 19.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, an estimated 2.85 billion trips will be made during this period, up 11.6 percent from last year. Although the majority of these journeys will be by bus and train, even the number of journeys by air is expected to be up by 10 percent.

Train tickets for the period of chunyun (Spring Festival travel) are now on sale in Beijing and sizeable queues are already forming in front of the temporary ticket offices provided to cope with the Spring Festival surge. Shelters are also appearing around the main stations in the capital to provide some protection against the elements.

Being that so many Beijingers' families are located outside the capital, the sheer numbers heading away from the city will stretch the transportation network to breaking point. Naturally, it's a problem every year.

To meet demand, a large number of extra buses and trains will be laid on throughout the period, accommodating the majority of additional passengers at a squeeze. But overcrowding is an ever-increasing problem, even outside chunyun.

Of course, the weather also plays a key part with even minor changes responsible for serious problems with public transportation schedules.

Because Beijing is yet to get any snow this winter, it can only be hoped that such conditions stay away for the commencement of the Spring Festival travel period.

Southern China is already experiencing unusual freezing temperatures and bad weather, which if it continues, could impact nationwide travel.

Despite all the difficulties, getting away from Beijing during the holiday season can most definitely be worthwhile. Spending Chinese New Year in a different setting can help enhance the holiday spirit, regardless of your nationality.

If you're planning on traveling this season and have not sorted out your transportation yet, it's worth getting something as soon as possible because tickets (especially for the train) are prone to sell out quickly, although there's likely some good deals going if you are traveling by air.

Regardless, it's hoped that all those wishing to leave the capital during the holiday period will manage to make their journey without too much disruption, or have such a good time that it barely registers.