The MASSIVE ANNUAL HUMAN Migration

Hi guys,


A follow up on what we were discussing during our 8 minutes in China.





"China's massive annual migration begins "


Straits Times Singapore Jan 19, 2011




SHANGHAI - THE world's biggest annual migration of people began in China on Wednesday as millions of travellers boarded trains and buses across the country to journey home for the Lunar New Year celebrations.



The Ministry of Transport said the number of separate passenger trips on the country's trains, planes, boats and buses is expected to reach 2.556 billion - 11.6 per cent more than last year, the official Xinhua news agency reported.



Although the week-long holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, officially begins on Feb 3, demand for tickets is so high many travel weeks in advance. The festival travel season is expected to end on Feb 27.Most of the passengers are migrant workers who travel home to see their families only once a year for the country's most important holiday. The number of passenger trips has risen steeply from 1.66 billion a decade ago, Xinhua said.



'Sound economic growth is the reason for the increase. Higher incomes and better transport facilities make it easier for people to travel,' Mr Xu Guangjian, deputy dean of Renmin University's School of Public Administration in Beijing, was quoted as saying.



An average of 2,265 trains per day will carry holiday travellers over the period, deputy railway minister Wang Zhiguo said, adding nearly 300 additional trains were enlisted to carry a record 230 million passengers expected over the peak period, state media reported. -- AFP

Some questions that came to mind:

1. Since it's still 2 weeks before CNY, with so many people going home, who is going to work?
2. Can the Chinese Economy afford the shut down??if so why?