Chunyun

People return home from work or study to have reunion dinner with their families on New Year's Eve.

Places such as the Special Economic Zones and the wealthy coastal regions offer employment and often, a more sought-after lifestyle.

Consequently, there has been a massive migration from rural to urban areas over the course of the last few decades, reminiscent of the Industrial Revolution around the world.

Tourism in mainland China reaches at this time of year record levels, further adding to the pressure on the transportation system.

The locations not serviced by rail must rely on buses for transportation, which faces problems such as inadequate equipment and road network.

[9] In 2007's Chunyun period (Feb 4 – March 14), however, the government imposed strict regulations against inflated prices on railway tickets.

In 2012, the PRC government announced that national highways would be toll free for Golden Week, and as a result 86 million people traveled by road (13% increase compared to the previous year).

For example, during the 2005 Chunyun period, the ticket offices in Shenzhen had tens of telephone lines, and at times got millions of calls per hour.

Guangzhou Railway Group increased the number of telephone lines at their ticket offices to 8,000 in the 2006 Chunyun period.

They pick up tickets in great numbers minutes after they go on sale, and then deal them out in and around the railway station at inflated prices.

Measures have been put in place to prevent fake tickets, and the government has issued many warnings and begun various campaigns to crack down on the scalpers.

[15] Severe snow storms in late January 2008 stranded many thousands of migrant workers as they attempted to get home.

[16] Around 1.3 million troops and reservists were drafted in around the country to clear blocked roads and rail lines to enable people to travel.

Such a policy went into effect on a trial basis beginning early 2010 (for the duration of the Chunyun period on all non high-speed trains).

In 2011, the "real name and ID" requirement expanded to more cities in China, and was made permanent for the Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway even after the Chunyun period.

[18] It is now policy for station staff and rail police to check all riders against their document of identity and to deny boarding to those without a ticket or with no linked ID.

[19] To prevent accidents in the air, the Chinese government has brought in very strict regulations on overloading planes and red-eye flights.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) estimates at least 36 million passengers will fly during the 2009 Chunyun period.