The peak transportation period in China occurs each year during the Spring Festival, and it generally lasts 40 days—15 days prior to the festival and 24 days after it.
During that period, China witnesses a general mobilization of people—via sea, land and air. Statistics indicate during Spring Festival in 2004,the volume of railway passengers reached 130 million person-times; road, about 1.6 billion; and air, 8.7 million. During Spring Festival in 2005, the volume of railway passengers reached 140 million person-times; road, about 1.7 billion; and air, more than 11 million. In 2006, the passenger flow reached a new high-more than 1.9 billion Chinese migrated during the festival, including 1.8 billion person-times on road; sea, 27.6 million; and air, 12.5 million.
From the above statistics, one can easily see China's communications and transportation systems face increasingly severe pressure during the annual period of holiday migration.
