- Millions of people in China have been left stranded on highways and train stations amid icy weather.
- Many are trying to head back to their hometowns to celebrate this year’s spring festival holiday.
- The transport ministry earlier forecast a record nine billion trips for this year’s holiday.
Icy blizzards and freezing rain have been a huge dampener for the millions of Chinese people trying to head home for this year’s spring festival holiday.
Cold weather has battered multiple parts of China over the past week, with heavy snow descending upon the country’s central, eastern, and southern regions, per Reuters.
China’s Central Meteorological Observatory said in its forecast that the icy weather would persist until Wednesday.
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But that would still be a problem for the millions who have begun their journey home for the holidays.
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Some have been left trapped in their cars for days, with traffic slowing to a crawl on snowy highways.
Those hoping to commute via train face similar problems, with hundreds of trips being suspended due to frozen tracks. Vexed commuters have uploaded videos of jam-packed train stations on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging service.
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It’s not just the roads. The cold weather prompted Wuhan’s Tianhe International Airport to close their runways and cancel flights temporarily.
The spring festival is one of China’s most important holidays. The festival heralds the start of spring and marks the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar. This year’s celebrations will kick-start on February 10.
The annual holiday is also known for its disruptive impact on domestic travel in China. Billions of Chinese will engage in the world’s largest human migration exercise when they head home to reunite with their families.
China’s Ministry of Transport said in January that they expected a record nine billion trips for this year’s spring festival.
