China's Mass Migration: Record 330 Million People on the Move During National Day Holiday
As China embarked on its National Day Golden Week holiday on October 1st, the country saw an unprecedented surge in regional movement, with a staggering 331.268 million people traversing across regions, breaking records and stretching infrastructure to its limits.
3 October 2024
On the first day of the eight-day holiday alone, approximately 21.448 million people took trains to destinations across the country. Railway passenger traffic reached 21.448 million on October 1, as millions of Chinese travelers embarked on their journeys. The railway network was put to the test as people from all over the country made their way to popular tourist destinations, reunions with family and friends, and other vacation spots. According to official data, the sheer number of passengers on trains across the country underscored the enormity of China's mass migration during the holiday period. This surge in passenger traffic is expected to continue throughout the week-long holiday, putting a strain on the country's transportation infrastructure.
As millions of Chinese citizens took to the roads on the first day of the National Day holiday, highways and provincial roads experienced a significant influx of personal vehicles. According to official statistics, 266.08 million trips were made by private cars on highways and ordinary provincial roads, accounting for a substantial portion of the total 3.312 billion cross-regional trips taken on October 1st. This staggering number highlights the enduring popularity of road travel during China's Golden Week holiday, despite the inconvenience and chaos often associated with peak travel seasons. Many individuals opted to avoid crowded tourist destinations and instead chose more laid-back activities, such as visiting the beach in Xiamen. The 266.08 million trips made by private cars on highways and provincial roads not only underscore the rapid growth of China's middle class but also raise important questions about the country's transportation infrastructure and environmental sustainability.
Highway and ordinary roads recorded around 26.608 million passenger trips in personal vehicles, while a massive influx of tourists clogged highways, major transportation nodes and tourist attractions. Even ports were bustling, recording about 1.097 million passengers by boat. As the country celebrated the first day of the National Day holiday, waterways and civil aviation also experienced a significant uptick in passenger traffic. Civilian airlines transported roughly 2.384 million passengers on October 1. These numbers reflect the growing preference for more convenient and efficient modes of transportation during peak holiday seasons, as travelers seek to avoid the congestion and delays often associated with road travel. With the holiday season expected to last for several more days, it remains to be seen whether these trends will continue to hold.
It was as though over one-third of the world’s most populous country simultaneously migrated – leaving one onlooking reader remarking about another "billion" en-route. Beach scenes that characterized idyllic landscapes found within mainland, appeared paradoxical as social network footage suggested tourists' zeal defying congestion; others made tongue-in-cheek admissions when expressing concerns around avoiding what might appear human overflow sites in other local vacation grounds.
