The Chinese New Year travel season in China is called Chunyun.
Chunyun, also known as the Spring Festival travel rush or Chunyun period, is the annual surge in travel surrounding Chinese New Year. The Chinese term is commonly translated as “spring transportation,” reflecting the enormous movement of people across the country during the holiday period.
The rush generally begins about 15 days before the holiday and lasts roughly 40 days. Millions of migrant workers travel from major cities to their hometowns, while students return from universities and families take holiday trips. Railways face especially intense demand, with buses, roads, and air routes also carrying large numbers of travelers.
Chunyun is often described as the world’s largest annual human migration. The name refers to a travel period, not to the festival itself: Chinese New Year is the celebration, whereas Chunyun is the transportation phenomenon created by the holiday. Hongbao means a red envelope, and Gaokao is China’s national college entrance examination.