Chongqing - In the huge train stations of big Chinese cities, despite the station not being at pre-2020 levels, you can witness astonishing scenes of passenger flow before and after the Spring Festival. This year, the busy traffic period is January 17 to February 25.
Chongqing North Station began the busiest work of a year by running over 110 thousand people on January 17, the first day of Chunyun, literally the meaning of the "spring traffic". According to the North Station, the first day of Chunyun in 2022 is busier than the last year, but it is not comparable to the number of passengers in pre-pandemic years.
Chongqing North Station has added some New Year flavors recently. (Photo / Lan Tian)
In the Covid-19 pandemic, the North Station, as one of the busiest points in the city, is operated with cautious order. Workers equipped with prevention suits are increased at the entrance to manage the passenger flow. Cleaners patrolled with their disinfection guns while security warned those who took their masks off. Everything was cautious yet orderly.
The Station separates passengers arriving from low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk regions on the arrival side. The measures include setting different exit ways and going through different processes based on that.
At the departure side, fewer people were seen in the waiting room, and journalists found almost no travelers from other provinces. "Celebrating the New Year in place" is not a mandate but a suggestion from the government that was created at the 2021 Spring Festival.
A cleaner is passing a subway exit to disinfect the ground where passengers depart. (Photo / Lan Tian )
Tang Ke, the vice-captain of the local prevention team, told the press that his main job is to check in every passenger arriving from the medium-risk regions and send them to the colleagues in the next procedure. There are three groups to be on duty by turns. Each turn, they work 24 hours every two days.
January 19, Tang Ke is at the entrance, asking passengers to show their health code and travel code to enter the waiting room. (iChongiqng/ Kenny Dong)
Passengers are in the Station with masks on everywhere. (Photo / Lan Tian)
Chunyun is a social culture derived from the Spring Festival tradition that families must reunite to exchange gifts, and more importantly, to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Thus, travel needs are created by those who work far from their hometown. Like Christmas, it is the season to be jolly for the Chinese. Some international media refer to Chunyun as the "largest annual human migration on earth."
A train attendant gives a passenger Spring Festival scrolls as the new year's gift. (Photo / Lan Tian)
Xiong Li, a Chongqing girl who annually travels 18 hours on the train from Beijing, finally reached her home destination at 11:57 a.m. She brought nourishments, candies, and packaged nuts to the relatives and friends, mentioning thrice how "relaxed" she was coming home to see her parents.
"Usually, we will eat the reunion dinner at New Year's Eve (January 31), and we will go to sweep the tomb at the Spring Festival. We make glutinous rice cake, called 'piggy cake.' They are made roundly, just like our reunion," she said.