Beijing and Shanghai have the largest number of people leaving during this period.

The Ministry of Transport surveyed more than 100,000 travelers during this year's rush and found that 80 percent of trips were made to visit family and friends, and 10 percent were for tourism.

Zhang Enyu, a 28-year-old computer programmer in Shanghai, said he could find a career only in big cities. His hometown, a village in Heilongjiang province, doesn't have any high-tech industry. The trip home takes him nearly two full days: 42 hours by train and three hours by bus.

"The train was so crowded that three or four people would be lying on the floor by my seat," he said. "But I always go home during the festival. For me, the point of Spring Festival is getting together with family."

Pang Wenjing, a 51-year-old migrant worker from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said he had no money to buy a train ticket but was still eager to go home.

"I am waiting to see if I can find people from my hometown and figure out a way to buy a ticket," he said while looking around at the train station in Guangzhou. "My wife and children are waiting for me."

Contact the writers at pengyining@chinadaily.com.cn