A man greets a woman upon her arrival at Beijing West Railway Station on February 14. Photo: Li Hao/GT

As companies and businesses around China reopen after the Lunar New Year holiday, most people have left their hometowns and scenic spots and returned to the cities where they work and live.

As of Saturday, more than 1.38 billion trips have been made during this year's chunyun, the annual Spring Festival travel rush, a 3.3 percent increase compared with the same period last year. Traveling by train is gaining popularity with a 9.1 percent increase in trips reported, reaching 150 million trips as the country continued to expand its high-speed rail network. Air travel increased by 3.1 percent to 25 million trips, while the number of maritime journeys decreased by 3.2 percent to 21.64 million trips. Road travel remains the most popular transport method with more than 1.18 billion trips made on the country's highways and roads over chunyun, a moderate 2.8 percent increase from last year.

February 14 marks the first work day after the official Spring Festival holidays this year, and the peak chunyun days have passed safe and sound. As Valentine's meets chunyun, heart-warming moments have taken place amid the hustle and bustle of train stations and airports.

However, the romantic occasion spells hardship for some with heavy traffic predicted in shopping districts frequented by valentines in the evening, as people grab the last chance to relax with their loved ones before officially kicking off a year of hard work.

Global Times

Travelers carry their luggage down the stairs at Beijing West Raiway Station. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A woman carries a bunch of flowers as she arrives in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Passengers queue up at a subway station in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A police officer keeps alert in Beijing West Railway Station. Photo: Li Hao/GT

 

 
Newspaper headline: Rush romance