Financial woes not a deal breaker as China’s Lunar New Yr journey rush kicks off

By Liz Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) – The annual journey rush for China’s Lunar New Yr celebrations formally started on Tuesday, with many taking a psychological break from their worries concerning the future to reunite with household or take a vacation.

The height journey season on the planet’s second-largest economic system kicked off with a practice departing from Beijing minutes after midnight, taking early chook travellers from the capital to Hefei in japanese Anhui province.

Most individuals goal to be with household for the normal reunion dinner on the eve of the New Yr, which falls on Jan. 29 this yr.

The 40-day journey season will proceed till Feb. 22, throughout which authorities estimate a file 9 billion home journeys will likely be made. The forecast matches 2024’s estimate, though solely 8.4 billion journeys have been really made throughout final yr’s festivities.

Railway passenger quantity is anticipated to exceed 510 million passengers, whereas greater than 90 million passengers are anticipated to fly. Nonetheless, the variety of journeys by personal car is anticipated to achieve 7.2 billion journeys, or about 80% of the full home passenger circulation, nationwide tv broadcaster CCTV stated.

Most of China’s 1.4 billion inhabitants will likely be celebrating this yr’s Lunar New Yr, also called the Spring Competition, at a time when the economic system is struggling to maintain a sturdy restoration hamstrung by weak home demand and a protracted property market disaster.

Some travellers stated they’d not enable the state of the economic system to take the shine off the upcoming celebrations.

“Though the economic system has slowed down, I believe the nation as an entire is considering (the financial scenario) and us, as abnormal individuals, live effectively (everyday),” stated Wang Zhixu, a 55-year-old who works in property administration companies, and was on the station in Beijing.

“Peace inside our nation brings us probably the most happiness.”

Air passengers who bought a number of vacation spot tickets for the festive interval rose 50% in comparison with final yr, and resort bookings in some counties have elevated, CCTV stated.

Beijing, Guangzhou, Harbin, Dali and Fuzhou have been fashionable locations for holidaymakers profiting from the eight-day public vacation.

However for younger individuals in search of work, the outlook is totally different.

Shi Zhenyue, 22, en path to Harbin for a vacation with buddies earlier than travelling on to Wuxi in japanese Jiangsu province to have fun the New Yr with household, hoped for an enchancment within the economic system so she may be a part of the workforce.

“If the economic system does get higher (within the new yr), I’ll have a greater likelihood of discovering a job, and I will not have to return to check for a grasp’s or doctoral diploma. And if the economic system improves, my father’s bonus (from work) will not be halved. Every little thing else is ok,” Shi stated.

Youth unemployment hit 18.8% final August, the very best because the authorities modified the best way they calculated the figures in December 2023. Though joblessness information has proven some enchancment in latest months, hundreds of thousands of school graduates have been pushed into accepting low-paying work and even subsisting on their dad and mom’ pensions.

Many have additionally deserted the stresses of massive cities for an easier life away from the hustle.

For 33-year-old He who lives in northeastern Liaoning province together with her fiance, the slower tempo of life is a consolation.

“As a result of we aren’t in a really huge metropolis like everybody else, we could not have an excessive amount of stress,” stated the small enterprise proprietor who solely gave her surname.

“We had additionally stayed within the huge metropolis for a time frame after commencement, after which we selected to return to our residence city the place we really feel is friendlier, and likewise happier,” she stated.