China's Spring Festival: Record-breaking travel, intangible cultural feast

At 5:30 a.m., Wang Hui, a woman traveling with her family, is waiting at Shenzhen North Railway Station to board the first high-speed train from south China's Shenzhen City to northwest China's Xi'an City, which departs at 6:08 a.m.

A mother and permanent resident in the metropolis, Wang explained that, despite building a life in Shenzhen, she always yearns for her hometown, especially during the Spring Festival.

"I've been in Shenzhen since university, and now I have my own family, but every year, as the Spring Festival approaches, I can't help but feel the pull of home," she said, smiling despite the early hour and the long journey ahead.

Another traveler, surnamed Zhong, was heading back to her hometown in Chenzhou, central China's Hunan Province. Having lived in Shenzhen for more than a decade, she said the city's rapid growth had never lessened her feelings of homesickness during the Spring Festival.

"I've planned this trip for a month. The Spring Festival is when you want to be with family and embrace the traditions that connect us," Zhong said.