Visitors line up to enter Ditan Park in Beijing on Feb 23, 2015. [Photo by Gong Wenbao/Asianewsphoto]

Is the traditional Spring Festival disappearing? This question was a hot topic on domestic social networks during this year's Lunar New Year holiday, with many saying the Spring Festival is no longer what it used to be.

But to answer that question, we need to know what the Spring Festival is.

For most Chinese, the Spring Festival has always been an annual family reunion and a precious week-long break from their normal daily routines. And that is something that hasn't changed. Visiting parents during the New Year holiday is still the first choice for most people working or studying far from home.

From Jan 24 to Feb 2, whether by plane, train, boat or bus, 740 million trips were made, 2.5 percent higher than last year. And during the peak travel period, the three days before New Year's Day, 82 million people a day were on the move, heading back to their hometowns.

And that doesn't include those who made their journeys by car, motorcycles or even bicycles. Yang Guojing, a forklift truck driver in South China's Guangdong province, for instance, rode a bicycle for five days and nights to cover the 800 kilometers to his hometown. Yang's determination shows for Chinese people going home for the Spring Festival is a case of where there's the will, there's the way.

However, some claim the traditional Spring Festival is disappearing because a growing number of people are choosing to celebrate it overseas.