NewsWorld
PredictionsDigestsScorecardTimelinesArticles
NewsWorld
HomePredictionsDigestsScorecardTimelinesArticlesWorldTechnologyPoliticsBusiness
AI-powered predictive news aggregation© 2026 NewsWorld. All rights reserved.
Trending
TrumpTariffTradeStrikesAnnounceLaunchCourtPricesMajorFebruaryNewsDigestSundayTimelineChinaSafetyGlobalMarketCrisisOilGoldUkraineSupremeTech
TrumpTariffTradeStrikesAnnounceLaunchCourtPricesMajorFebruaryNewsDigestSundayTimelineChinaSafetyGlobalMarketCrisisOilGoldUkraineSupremeTech
All Articles
Spring Festival travel rush dates back to ancient China but only for rich and powerful
South China Morning Post
Published 4 days ago

Spring Festival travel rush dates back to ancient China but only for rich and powerful

South China Morning Post · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from RSS

Summary

The world’s largest human migration, China’s Spring Festival travel rush, could date back more than 2,000 years and reflects the history and development of China’s transport networks. This year’s Spring Festival rush, or chunyun, takes place from February 2 to March 13, and is expected to produce a total of 9.5 billion passenger trips. The chunyun is believed to first appear along with the invention of the term guo nian, or spending the New Year, in the Zhou dynasty (1046–256). The New Year,...

Full Article

The world’s largest human migration, China’s Spring Festival travel rush, could date back more than 2,000 years and reflects the history and development of China’s transport networks.This year’s Spring Festival rush, or chunyun, takes place from February 2 to March 13, and is expected to produce a total of 9.5 billion passenger trips.The chunyun is believed to first appear along with the invention of the term guo nian, or spending the New Year, in the Zhou dynasty (1046–256).The New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival, was celebrated with worshipping rituals to pray for a good harvest in the following year.During ancient times a horse and cart, above, would be used to make the annual pilgrimage. Photo: zhihuThe tradition of family reunion during the period was also established then to demonstrate the Confucian value of filial piety.

Share this story
Read Original at South China Morning Post

Related Articles

South China Morning Post19 minutes ago
China’s Type 095 nuclear submarine spotted for first time in new satellite images

China has launched its first next-generation Type 095 nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), according to satellite imagery analysed by defence experts. It marks a significant leap as Beijing ramps up the underwater arms race to challenge US naval dominance in technology and production. Images captured between February 9 and 12 showed the vessel being fitted out at the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao, Liaoning province, according to Janes and Naval News. Defence analysts said the pictures revealed a...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago
More advanced maths students needed for science, tech sectors: Hong Kong committee head

Hong Kong must more than double the number of secondary school pupils studying advanced maths to ensure a sufficient pipeline of students pursuing science and technology courses at university and careers in those sectors, according to the head of a curriculum review. The government plans to review the admission score calculations for some of the universities’ science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programmes, as well as revamp the combination of related elective subjects...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago
China seeks to cultivate a food supply immune to geopolitical shocks

A single policy could redraw global food supply lines and scramble markets from the Americas to Southeast Asia. In early February, the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee and State Council released the annual “No 1 document”, the country’s first policy statement of 2026 and its blueprint for agriculture, farmers and rural areas. As one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, importers and exporters, any shift in Beijing’s food strategy carries global repercussions. Covering...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago
Pakistan targets militants in Afghanistan, testing Doha truce

Islamabad said it carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan early on Sunday, targeting what it called hideouts of Pakistani militants it blamed for recent attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Red Crescent Society said more than a dozen people were killed. Pakistan did not specify the locations targeted, but the Afghan Defence Ministry said in a statement “various civilian areas” in the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika in eastern Afghanistan were hit, including a religious madrasa...

South China Morning Postabout 3 hours ago
Malaysia summons anti-corruption chief in stock ownership probe

Malaysia’s anti-corruption chief Azam Baki was summoned by a special committee set up to probe his stock ownership to explain the matter on Thursday, as authorities respond to calls for him to be investigated. The committee is examining the compliance and regularity of Azam’s share ownership based on the initial report it received, Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, chief secretary to the government, said in a statement on Sunday. It is still in the process of evaluating all evidence obtained and will call...

South China Morning Postabout 3 hours ago
Hong Kong jewellery sales sparkle amid 13% jump in mainland Chinese visitors

Hong Kong recorded a 13 per cent increase in visitors from mainland China during the Lunar New Year holiday against a year ago, with the influx boosting jewellery sales by 10 per cent during the period despite a sharp rise in gold prices. Industry representatives said on Sunday that overall business was better than last year, although the recovery remained uneven across sectors and was not always directly tied to the greater number of mainland visitors. Immigration figures showed mainland...