The Chinese New Year has just begun and I have to admit that I'm kind of glad not to be there to witness it. Its not that I have anything against the Chinese New Year. Actually, I really enjoy some of the New Year celebration customs such as watching lion dance performances and I love eating jiaozi (dumplings).
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| Chinese Lion Dance |
But what I don't like is traveling anywhere in China during the New Year period (which lasts for about a month or so) because travel conditions are atrocious. For this most important of Chinese holidays, every Chinese person wants to go home and when all (or most of them) try to go home at the same time, the inevitable result is huge lines, delays and overcrowding on a scale unimaginable to most Westerners.
I'm writing this blog post after reading an article, 3 Billion Train Trips Reunite Chinese Families, which describes some of the chaos involved in New Year travel in China. Crowding is the norm in China year-round with buses often packed tighter with people than sardine cans with sardines. As a result, public transportation can be very uncomfortable at times and you have to just adapt and get used to it. But Chinese New Year makes a common problem exponentially worse. The 3 Billion Train Trips article makes it clear why many foreigners living in China such as myself try to celebrate Chinese New Year somewhere other than China.
So from a distance, I wish all my friends in China a very Happy New Year. Travel safely and best of luck in the Year of the Dragon.
新年快樂 and 恭禧發財!
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