A reflection of modernization

Ji from Beijing Jiaotong University said, "Railway Spring Festival travel is a mirror reflecting the trajectory of China's development in recent years."

Xie Yurong, a researcher from the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said that the very existence of the Spring Festival travel rush had been a reflection of China's modernization process.

"It continuously drove the development of chunyun while serving as a massive real-world application scenario that propelled progress in transportation infrastructure, technological advancements and service innovations," she said.

She likened chunyun to a stress test for the transportation system, simulating extreme scenarios that challenge infrastructure and logistics.

"Currently, one common complaint during the travel rush is the difficulty of managing large bags, especially at railway stations that still lack escalators — forcing passengers to carry heavy luggage up and down stairs," she said.

"As people's expectations rise, improvements should be made with a people-first approach, paying attention to these finer details."

Zhang marvels at China's rapid advancements in high-speed rail.

"At the end of last year, I read the news about the new prototypes of faster bullet trains traveling at 400 km an hour have been released. Maybe in my lifetime, I could get to ride an even faster train. Then I can travel for a reunion with my son in maybe under two hours," he said.

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