Beijing Takes a Breather as 8.48 Million People Head Home

(Beijing) — As Beijing experienced its annual mass exodus during Lunar New Year, those who stayed in the city benefited from quiet streets, clean air and empty public transportation.

About 8.48 million people, nearly 40% of the city’s population, headed home to see their families during the seven-day holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, which began on Jan. 27 this year, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

The mass exodus gave the city’s public transportation system some respite. The subway saw only 30% of its normal passenger volume, the Transport Department said. And the average number of passengers taking buses in the first six days of the weeklong holiday declined 5% compared to the same holiday period of 2016.

While the annual migration left the city deserted and much of its economy at a standstill, those who remained in Beijing enjoyed a more-peaceful city.

“There were seats on the subway, the air was much clearer, and the highways were not jammed,” said Nick Liao, a 24-year-old salesperson from the southern province of Fujian, who stayed in Beijing to work during the public holiday. “The only inconvenience for me was that there was no food delivery.”

Beijing, along with some of the country’s other most-populous cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen and Dongguan, were left almost empty during the Spring Festival as millions of people traveled home.

China Railway Corp., the country’s railway operator, expects passengers to make 356 million trips during the 40-day holiday travel period known as “chunyun,” or the Spring Festival travel season, which begins 15 days before the start of Lunar New Year. The aviation sector expects passengers to make 58.3 million trips.

Contact reporter Chen Na (nachen@caixin.com)