China's 2 Billion Travel During Golden Week Shows "Economic Driving Force"

Rail Line Opening and Maximum Capacity Maintenance
Travel Demand Surges Exceeding Pre-COVID-19 Levels

Travel demand during China's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays exploded, with the scale of interregional movement expected to exceed 2 billion people. State-run media described this as demonstrating the strong driving force of the Chinese economy and evaluated it as a signal of economic recovery.

On the 5th, China's Ministry of Transport announced that the scale of interregional movement during the Golden Week holiday period, via railways, highways, waterways, and civil aviation, would reach 2.05 billion people. On a daily average basis, this amounts to 257 million people, an 11.5% increase compared to 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak. China's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays lasted for eight days from the 29th of last month to the 6th of this month, considered the longest holiday period of the year.

The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, explained, "People are enjoying travel and everything is proceeding smoothly," adding, "This shows the strong driving force of a vibrant China."

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

According to the People's Daily report, Beijing South Railway Station transported an average of 202,000 passengers per day, maintaining the highest level of capacity, while Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao airports saw a daily average of 325,000 passengers. In Shanghai's case, this was a 131.7% increase compared to the previous year. On the 29th of last month, Chongqing highways recorded a historic daily maximum with 1.93 million vehicles in motion. A Ministry of Transport official stated, "With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, demand for visiting family or traveling increased, significantly boosting the overall floating population," adding, "Long-distance travel to rural areas also surged."

The People's Daily self-assessed that China's transportation infrastructure has become robust enough to accommodate such travel demand. It explained, "Behind the joy of travel and smooth flow lies an increasingly perfected road network system and strengthened infrastructure," adding, "New railway lines continue to open, making travel faster." In fact, on the 26th of last month, the Guangzhou-Shantou high-speed railway was inaugurated, transporting a total of 276,000 passengers by the 3rd of this month. The Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway, opened on the 28th of the same month, was also used by more than 160,000 passengers.

To meet passenger demand, Chinese authorities increased the number of passenger trains by 1,850 per day compared to normal times, operating an average of 11,500 services daily. This is an 18.5% increase compared to 2019. Additionally, travel efficiency has greatly improved through online registration and verification, as well as facial recognition check-in. The People's Daily emphasized, "Transportation is the main artery and pioneer of economic development," and stated, "Through the holidays, high-quality transportation is injecting new momentum into Chinese-style modernization."

The film market also heated up after a long time during the holiday period. As of 11 a.m. on the 5th, China's nationwide box office reached 47.1 billion yuan, surpassing the annual record of 2021. Top-grossing films included Mang Hong, Wandering Earth 2, Guo Ruiz (All In), The Lost Her, and Feng Xundi's Part One.

The state-run Global Times (GT) cited Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy, saying, "This holiday was probably the hottest Golden Week ever," and reported, "Along with the huge passenger volume, consumption during the holiday also surged." GT forecasted, "This will vividly reflect the Chinese people's firm confidence in the Chinese economy and its bright future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.