Beijing: China’s capital city may be known for its traffic congestion, but there is now hardly a car to be seen on its roads. The city’s migrant population has begun trickling out for their annual holidays, and locals say it will be difficult to find a single moving vehicle by the time the Chinese New Year rolls around on January 28.
“If you don’t like traffic jams, now may just be the best time to visit Beijing. After all, one third of the city’s residents are headed out in time for the upcoming New Year celebrations,” Cindy, a Chinese travel agent, told Gulf News.
Cindy too will soon travel out of Beijing with her husband and son to mark the start of the Chinese Year of the Rooster with her parents.
“It’s a 300-kilometre trip to the town of Jing Xian, but it is important we spend this time with our family,” she said.
Beijing, which is home to nearly 19.6 million people, consistently features on lists of places with the worst traffic congestion, and jams in the city have lasted for more than 10 days at a time.
But the city also has a large migrant population. In fact, the Beijing Bureau of Statistics estimates that 33 per cent of its residents have migrated from the rural hinterlands. For these people, the Chinese New Year is an opportunity every year to travel, catch up with family and get away from work.
This outflow of workers leaves the capital quiet and serene. Even now, three weeks before the celebrations begin, locals are rejoicing at the lack of traffic that is allowing them to leave home later than usual.
“It sometimes takes me two hours to get from the airport to the China World Trade Centre in the city’s central business district. Now, I can easily make the trip in just 25 minutes,” Liu, a professional driver.
At the same time, bus and train routes leading out of the capital city are fully booked as travellers look for public transport to make the long commute back home. Some even travel as far out as 1,000 kilometres to get back home.
“I can’t wait to join my family in the centrally located Hubei province. But I haven’t been able to find a single ticket over the last three weeks. On the other hand, there is no congestion in Beijing right now and that is always pleasing,” Usain Lee, a 29-year-old hospitality supervisor told Gulf News.
“Wait another week, and you won’t be able to find a single car,” he added.
Liu, on the other hand, will celebrate the New Year in the capital.
“I’m native to Beijing. So my whole family is here. We will celebrate the New Year and the capital city will be quiet then, with many of the shops closed for business for a brief while. But sure enough, traffic will be back to normal right after,” he said.
