Authorities in China expect 3.65 billion journeys during the Chinese New Year travel period. The number of trips - almost three times the population of China - include intercity flights, trains and local bus rides to villages during China's most important holiday, which is also known as Spring Festival. Each year, it represents the world's largest seasonal migration of people as families reunite.

Lian Weiliang, vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said authorities expected 200 million more journeys than in 2013 but warned that snow and bad weather could hamper the mass migration.

Baidu, China's largest search engine, has created a visualisation of the most popular travel routes, based on user location data.

The Year of the Horse starts on 31 January.

travel police turnstiles
Passengers heading home for New Year are held at Beijing West Railway Station Getty
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Passengers wait for trains at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station Getty
baidu travel map
A map, produced by China's most popular search engine, shows the most popular travel routes Baidu
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Passengers carrying bags run through turnstiles at a railway station in Ningbo, Zhejiang province Reuters
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A passenger throws a piece of rubbish on the floor on a train travelling from Shenzhen to Zhengzhou Reuters
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Passengers are seen in a crowded carriage on a train travelling from the coastal city Ningbo, Zhejiang province, to Chengdu, capital of the southwest Sichuan province Reuters
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A college student dressed as Monkey King, from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West", queues with other passengers at a train ticket booth at a station in Beijing Reuters
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A paramilitary policeman tries to control passengers at a railway station in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province Reuters
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A passenger sleeps on his luggage at a railway station in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Reuters
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A man pushes a cart carrying passengers' luggage outside a railway station in Guangzhou, Guangdong province Reuters
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A child is carried in a basket on the back of a woman as they board a train at a railway station in Nanjing, Jiangsu province Reuters
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A man sleeps on luggage as he waits for his train at a railway station in Beijing AP
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Paramilitary policemen sleep on the floor at Beijing West Railway Station Getty