A train trip during the greatest annual human migration in the world

Spring party. Others, as in my case, we want to take advantage of holidays to undertake a trip and enjoy any of the multiple tourist destinations in the country.

But we all have something in common: the need to move in the fastest and most efficient way possible during The greatest annual human migration in the worldwhich in China is known as chunyun (literally translated as “transport of the spring party”).

He Lunar New Year Chinese or the Spring partywhich falls this year on January 29, constitutes one of the most important dates for the Chinese. On the eve of said holiday, The country is set in motion and the demand for travel is triggered For all the tracks, from the roads and trains to the airplanes and ships.

During this year’s high travel season, which began on January 14 and will run for 40 days, some are expected 9,000 million displacementsestablishing a new record. Of these, more than 510 million must be prosecuted by the country’s railroads.

He vErtiginous development of rail infrastructure from China during the last decades, especially high -speed trains, they have realized what It looked like a miracle: move millions of people at the same time, in a comfortable and also fast way.

In Shenyangbei I talked to He Lan, a tourist from the province of Shanxi (northwest), who shared his holiday plan with me: to move north following the high-speed railway line Beijing-Harbin to visit Zhongjie street in Shenyang, capital of the Northeastern province of Liaoning, the “eight great ministries” in Changchun, capital of the province of Jilin, and the world of ice and snow in Harbin, capital of the province of Heilongjiang.

“We will travel northeast of China and celebrate the spring party in Harbin with the whole family,” he told me excitedly.

In the past, I have It would have been almost impossibleor would have involved expensive plane displacements. But today they are a daily reality, which allows millions of people to enjoy the winter attractions of the Northeast of China.

Since January 14, the Shenyangbei station has registered a Diario of 487 trains that start towards tourist destinations of ice and snow. Passenger flow can reach up to 121,000 people a day.

In the northeast of China, they have been built More than ten high -speed rail lines that connect the main cities inside and outside the region, including Beijing-Harbin, Shenyang-Dandong and Shenyang-Dalian. At the end of 2024, the total operational length of the railroads managed by the Shenyang rail operator reached the 14,583 kilometersof which 3,296 corresponded to high -speed lines.

My trip from the Chaoyang de Beijing station to Shengyangbei lasted less than three hours and, after a brief scale, I left on another fast train to the city of Yanji, where our true winter adventure began: reaching the Mountain Changbaisan and visit the lago tianshi (Celestial Lake), which at this time of year remains fully frozen.

Although I could have followed my fast train route, some friends told me about the Low speed thematic trains And I decided to try them to get to the Changbaishan mountain.

At the Longjing station, located in the Autonomous Prefecture of Yanbian Korean ethnicity, in the northeastern province of Jilin, I went up to a very peculiar train. Its external shape was similar to the green trains that are common in Beijing, but their decoration and interiors did not look like anything that would have seen before.

Yuan Xiangdong, manager of the Yanbian International Railway Travel Company, explained that this tourist train was transformed from a traditional train and has Five thematic carsdecorated in striking colors and in folk styles of different ethnicitiessuch as the Korean and the Manchu.

During the trip, I was able to enjoy artistic presentations, an interesting offer of meals and drinks and a spectacular landscape, as the line made its way between the mountains.

The exquisite train design and its cultural offers attract tourists from all over the country. Gao Fei, a Beijing traveler, told me that he had chosen this option to enjoy the snowy landscape during the journey. “The rhythm of life is very fast today, and it results Very nice to take a slow train on vacation“He told me.

Jin Lan y Wu Shanji, residentes en Yanbian, escogieron el tren para llevar a sus hijos a una excursión a la montaña Changbaishan durante los días festivos. “This line is very convenient. We buy the tickets in Douyin (the Chinese version of Tiktok), where they offer all kinds of services, such as memories, singing and dance shows, and special meals for the spring party. Children loved experience. “

In response to the various demands of tourists from all over the country, the Shenyang railway operator Designed and launched tourism trains with destinations such as Yanji and the Changbaishan mountain, which to date have transported almost 10,000 passengers.

For its part, Harbin’s rail operator has launched a Thematic Train of Ice and Snow Travel Photography Between the cities of Harbin and Yabuli, to fully show the beautiful landscapes along the line.

Those who continue to prefer the fast track, will soon have more options. He High Speed ​​Railroad Shenyang-Changbaishanwhich is under construction, will form a key part of the passenger transport corridor in the eastern part of the Northeast of China. It is expected to complete and enter into operation in October this year, which will further reduce travel time from Beijing to the Changbaishan mountain and from Shenyang to the same mountain.

The railroads, both the high speed and the themes are Injecting vitality to the economic development of the Northeast of China and bringing ice and snow to millions of tourists during the spring party.

Winter tourism has gained great popularity In recent years in this region of the country. Tourism and snow tourist resources have aroused the interest of visitors from all over the world, while railway lines that cross forests and snow -covered mountains meet the demand of visitors to travel the entire region.

At the Changbaishan station, I linked to waves of tourists to overcome the wind and cold and take a picture with the Tianchi lake in the background. In the vicinity of the mountain, I could also experience sports and snow sports activities, such as skiing, skating and mounting.

“With the implementation of tourist trains in recent years, every time More people choose to visit the Changbaishan mountain“Shi Guangliang, director of Operations of the Esquí Hongsongwang Station explained to me.” This winter, the number of visitors to our station increased 44 percent compared to the same period last year. “

According to the Report on the Development of Ice Tourism and the Snow of China (2025) recently published, the number of Winter leisure tourists In China, reach the 520 million During the Ice and Snow Season 2024-2025, and that tourism income exceeds 630,000 million yuan (about 87.9 billion dollars).

This experience of traveling through the Northeast of China in the Chunyun Key engine that drives the holiday economygenerating significant economic dynamism both in large cities and in emerging tourist areas.

The economic vitality of which I witnessed, driven by the flow of passengers, is a sample of the positive impact that has connectivity in the development of a country in constant movement and growth such as China.