As the week-long National Day holiday entered its fifth day on Saturday, many holidaymakers across China have embarked on return trips by train, car and air, bringing holiday traffic flow to another peak.
Data from the Ministry of Transport showed that China is expected to deliver over 284 million cross-regional trips on Friday, with more than 17.95 million trips made by railway.
Since the beginning of the holiday travel rush on Sept. 29, the national railway network has already transported over 100 million passenger trips, with daily passenger flow consistently exceeding 17 million trips.
As the return passenger flow gradually increased starting Saturday, regional departments across the country have enhanced efforts to ensure transportation services during the period.
Expressways continued to see dense traffic across the country, especially in the metropolises of Shanghai and Guangdong Province's Guangzhou, as well as Changsha City of central China's Hunan Province and Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province.
Meanwhile, the country's civil aviation sector is expected to transport more than 2.32 million passengers on the same day, up over 5 percent compared with the previous day.
China sees peak return trips as National Day holiday winds down
A delegation of 40 students and teachers from seven Chinese mainland universities on Thursday wrapped up their nine-day visit to Taiwan. They set off for Taiwan on Nov. 27 and visited universities, historical sites, scenic spots, as well as sports, sci-tech and cultural venues on the island, widely engaging with locals throughout the tour.
The delegation made the tour at the invitation of the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation.
"The young people from both sides of the Strait share the same root, and we are having a harmonious communication this time. We also welcome young people from Taiwan to visit the mainland for exchange," Cao Yibo, a student from Peking University, told reporters during the tour.
The delegation included table tennis Olympic champion Ma Long who studies at Beijing Sport University, and air rifle Olympic champion Yang Qian of Tsinghua University.
"In the future, I would like to visit Taiwan again. I did not expect that so many compatriots in Taiwan would come to welcome and us and pay so much attention to our exchange tour," Ma said.
Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, saw off the delegation at the airport on Thursday, and said the mainland students and teachers had received Taiwan residents' heartfelt welcome wherever they went.
"The farewell dinner party was held yesterday evening, when almost all students from the mainland shared their feelings. What moved me so much is that every one of them thanked people here, because the latter sincerely and warmly welcomed them wherever they went during the nine-day tour. They told me that when they go back, they will tell their relatives and friends that people in Taiwan are kind, hospitable and warm. I believe that is the most important purpose of the exchange across the Strait," he said.
Calling youth exchanges a foundation of cross-Strait relations in the future, Hsiao said the foundation will carry on and continue to promote such exchanges across the Strait.
This is the second delegation of mainland teachers and students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, following the visit by a first delegation in July last year.
Delegation of mainland university students, teachers wraps up Taiwan visit
