Chinese New Year rush sees 10.3m train tickets sold in one day

A record high, even for China

As the end of the lunar year draws closer, China gears up to get moving.

Commonly considered to be the largest annual human migration on the planet, there’s even a word to specifically describe transportation during the Spring Festival: chunyun (春运). According to Xinhua, China Railway Corporation ticket sales hit a record high last week, with 10.3 million tickets sold in one day. Ctrip have also had its fair share of the action, with the company stating that its call centre deals with approximately 200,000 calls per day during these peak periods.

Our best advice for travelling within China during the Spring Festival period? Don’t. But if you’re insistent on using your annual leave to do more than bask in the emptiness of Line 10 during rush hour, then we’d strongly advise you book your tickets early. This may even apply to international travel, with frequent flights and easier visa requirements resulting in more people choosing to spend the Spring Festival abroad.

Spring Festival hack: Ctrip’s Chinese website has a handy function that can automatically bid for tickets on your behalf, as well as nab individual tickets that unexpectedly become available. You’re still competing with 10.3 million other people to get your hands on a decent seat leaving after business hours (or so it feels), but every little bit helps.

Still want to get away this Chinese New Year? Hit 'Read more' for Beijing's best day trips.

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