More seniors take reverse journeys for family reunions ahead of Spring Festival

NANJING -- Bundled in thick coats and clutching heavy suitcases, 65-year-old Wang Chunxi and his wife stepped out of the bustling Suzhou Railway Station, unmistakable excitement on their faces. It is the peak of China's Spring Festival travel rush, but their journey hasn't been the same as most others.

"We've never done a 'reverse' Spring Festival trip before," Wang said. In recent years, more and more elderly parents have been opting to visit their children who live far from their hometowns for China's most important festival, rather than the other way around.

The couple embarked on a nearly 21-hour train journey from a small township in Jilin province to Suzhou in Jiangsu province to visit their daughter. They packed their bags with beloved hometown specialties -- cured red sausages, black fungus, and more -- to seek out the family reunion that defines Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, which will fall on Jan 29 this year.

"Our daughter is very busy with work. Since we're both retired, we have more free time, so we decided to come here," Wang explained. "The train was not crowded, and during the Spring Festival holiday, we can also visit some tourist spots."

Traditionally, Spring Festival has been marked by vast waves of people returning to their rural hometowns to reunite with family. However, this year's 40-day travel rush, which began on Jan 14 and is expected to see a staggering 9 billion passenger trips, is witnessing the rise of the "reverse Spring Festival trip."

Data shows that during last year's Spring Festival rush, travel among those aged 60 and above surged by nearly 30 percent year on year, with more seniors departing from provinces such as Sichuan, Hebei and Hubei to join family members in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Chinese railway authorities predict the trend will continue to grow this year, contributing to a steady overall increase in passenger numbers during the world's largest annual human migration.

For 68-year-old Shen Qirong, the trip from Guizhou province to Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu, to celebrate Spring Festival with his son has been a far cry from his past experiences.

"Years ago, buying a train ticket could cost me half a month's savings. Now, my pension is more than enough," he told Xinhua.

With China's high-speed rail network -- the largest in the world at a total operational length of 48,000 kilometers -- Shen has found that booking tickets now takes just a few clicks. "High-speed rail lines and flight routes crisscrossing the country make it so much easier for seniors like me to visit our children in the cities."

For decades, the pull of home, rich with tradition and family bonds, has driven Chinese festival travel in one direction.

However, with improving health care and transportation infrastructure, as well as narrowing economic and development gaps between regions, China's more than 300 million elderly citizens have seen marked improvement in their living standards and spending power. The elderly, especially those from rural areas who once faced barriers to travel due to physical, financial and logistical challenges, now have more freedom to embark on these journeys.

"I've planned everything -- New Year's Eve dinner at a hotpot restaurant and a plethora of sightseeing trips," said Lin Jia, a designer based in Nanjing.

She intends to welcome her parents and grandmother from Hunan Province to experience a multifaceted urban celebration. "It's both a reunion and a mini vacation."

Sensing a growing market for family-friendly Spring Festival activities, cities across China have rolled out a variety of events, including festival light shows and cultural tours. Nanjing alone plans to host over 500 cultural and tourism activities to entice family outings.

China's online travel platforms predict that family trips will become the new norm during this year's Spring Festival holiday, with bookings possibly rising by 75 percent compared to last year.

This reverse trend is also helping ease the transportation pressures typically experienced during the annual holiday travel rush. "Large cities usually see heavy outbound travel and underutilized inbound services," said Pan Ling, a staff member at Suzhou Railway Station. "Reverse travel can help balance the flow and fill up the seats."

To support this evolving travel trend, many cities are enhancing services to accommodate elderly travelers, such as providing volunteer guides at train stations, offering free or discounted admission to cultural sites, and tailoring public transit instructions for seniors.

For some, the shift in travel patterns goes beyond convenience. It's about deepening familial connections.

"When young people return to their rural homes for Spring Festival, they may feel a bit disconnected or lonely, and often their stay is shorter than expected," said Hu Xiaowu, an associate professor at Nanjing University. "But when parents visit the cities, they get to experience urban life, which can foster deeper understanding between generations and create more opportunities for quality family time."

Zhang Fan, who works in Jiangsu's Wuxi city, knows this feeling all too well. "It's special to have my parents see where I live and work. They finally understand the effort I've put into building a life here, and it brings us closer together."

For Wang Chunxi and his wife, the opportunity to be together as a family matters more than the location of the reunion.

"It doesn't matter which direction we travel," Wang said, smiling. "Being together is what truly matters."