The 2026 Spring Festival travel rush begins on February 2 and will run for 40 days, ending on March 13. Ahead of this annual migration, CGTN published a feature article exploring how the event has transcended its role as a transport phenomenon, becoming a unique lens through which to view China’s social transformation. BEIJING, Feb. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Under the glow of floodlights at a maintenance base in Nanchang, east China’s Jiangxi Province, rows of silver bullet trains stand in perfect formation. From above, the assembly resembles a fleet of land-based aircraft carriers ready for service. This is one of the launchpads across China for the world’s largest human migration: chunyun. The 40-day annual Spring Festival travel rush officially begins at the stroke of midnight on February 2, ahead of the country’s most important holiday. This year, chunyun is set to shatter all previous records. Official estimates predict a staggering 9.5 billion inter-regional passenger trips over the 40-day period, which runs through March 13. Driven by a nine-day holiday, the longest in recent memory, the 2026 rush is more than a logistical feat; it is a vivid window into China’s social transformation. Resilience of Chinese logistics As with every year, the 2026 chunyun stands as a spectacle of logistics. Officials project that self-driving will remain the dominant mode of transport, accounting for roughly 80 percent of all trips. Meanwhile, rail and civil aviation are expected to reach historic peaks, with passenger volumes hitting 540 million and 95 million, respectively. Behind these numbers lies a sophisticated, multi-tiered infrastructure. To support the surge in electric vehicles, the Ministry of Transport has expanded the highway charging network to 71,500 charging points. Travelers can use a special mini-program to monitor real-time charger availability, while mobile emergency charging units have been deployed during