Editor's note:

The word "Chunyun" first appeared in the People's Daily in 1980, and has become a popular term over the past three decades. It refers to that time of travel rush in China during Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese Lunar New Year -- which usually falls in late January or early February according to the Gregorian calendar. This year the holiday falls on January 31.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important festival for the Chinese people as it is an occasion to reunite with families and friends. More particularly, people hope to return home from their work or study to share a reunion dinner with their families on the Lunar New Year's Eve.

Chunyun usually kicks off some 15 days before the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day takes place, and lasts about 40 days. Hundreds of millions of Chinese are on the road during this peak travel season and therefore Chunyun has created an enormous pressure on China's transportation sector. The extremely high traffic load is an annual test of the country's transportation systems.