The world's largest annual human migration is underway. More than 2.8 billion trips will be made on China's transportation systems as people head home for the Lunar New Year. The country has more than 250 million migrant workers, and it is traditional for families to spend New Year together.
The Chinese government estimates this year's migration will entail 2.4 billion road trips, 295 million train journeys and 47.5 million voyages by air.
A man bids farewell to his daughter at a railway station in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, as she heads with her mother to their hometown in Hunan provinceReutersPassengers check in at the service counters at Beijing Capital International AirportAFPPassengers are seen through the window of a train at a Beijing railway stationJason Lee/ReutersA man who failed to get a seat sits on the washbasin on a train at a railway station in ShanghaiAFPPassengers gather in the waiting hall at Hongqiao Railway Station in ShanghaiJohannes Eisele/AFPA passenger takes a nap in a waiting room at a Beijing railway stationJason Lee/ReutersPassengers wait to have their tickets checked at a railway station in BeijingJason Lee/ReutersA couple bid farewell to each other outside a Beijing railway stationAFPPassengers check in at the self-service machines at Beijing Capital International Airport as China's spring festival travel rush kicks offAFPA passenger carries a bag on his head as he boards a train at a railway station in Nanjing, Jiangsu provinceReutersA passenger takes a nap in a waiting room at a Beijing railway stationJason Lee/ReutersA couple rest on their luggage as they wait to board their train at a railway station in Hefei, Anhui provinceReutersA passenger sleeps on a bench as he waits for his flight at Beijing Capital International AirportAFPPassengers head to board trains at a railway station in BeijingAFP
The Year of the Goat begins on 19 February. The 40-day Spring Festival travel season, known as 'Chunyun', started on 4 February and goes on until 16 March.
