China expects 9 bln passenger trips during upcoming Spring Festival travel rush

A record high of nine billion passenger trips are expected to be made during China's upcoming Spring Festival travel rush period, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent, according to a video and telephone conference which was held on Tuesday on the country's busiest annual period of mass migration.

Of the total, 510 million and 90 million trips will be made via railways and civil aviation, respectively, reaching new highs compared to one year ago.

The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," is usually a period of high transportation demand as people return home for family reunions. The 2025 Chunyun will last from Jan 14 to Feb 22.

The Spring Festival, China's biggest traditional festival, will fall on Jan 29 in 2025.

Also on Tuesday, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Emergency Management and other departments issued a plan on ensuring transportation services during the upcoming travel rush.

Officials said the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush will be characterized by six features.

"First, the nationwide cross-regional trips will hit a record high. Second, self-driving will play a major role, with demand increasing for charging new energy vehicles. Third, most travelers tend to visit relatives or go on a trip, placing high pressure on rural areas and popular tourist cities to ensure transportation safety. Fourth, important transportation channels and major city clusters will face high pressure. Travelers will flock to city clusters including Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and Chengdu-Chongqing. Transportation channels such as Shanghai-Chengdu (Expressway), Shanghai-Nanjing (Railway) and Qiongzhou Strait will face a surge in travel demand. Fifth, there is a strong demand for the transportation of materials to ensure winter heating and energy, people's livelihood, and spring farming and preparation, placing pressure to coordinate public travel and the transportation of key materials. Sixth, harsh weather is prone to occur frequently in winter and spring, and the tasks of safe production, emergency support, and smooth traffic are arduous," said He Ming, director of the road passenger transport management division at the transport services department under the Ministry of Transport.

China expects 9 bln passenger trips during upcoming Spring Festival travel rush

China's movie industry is increasingly deriving its earnings from broader consumer economy.

Released during the 2025 summer season, the film "Nobody" became China's highest-grossing two-dimensional animated film -- and its success went beyond theaters.

Through licensing and brand partnerships, the movie has generated 2.5 billion yuan (about 358.3 million U.S. dollars) in retail sales to consumers, with more than 800 licensed products on the market.

Ranging from plush toys to food and home goods, the movie-related merchandise can be purchased from over 3,000 online and offline outlets.

Meanwhile, souvenir stores are crowded at Shanghai Disneyland's Zootopia themed land, with hats, plush toys, and collectibles seeing steady demand from visitors.

"China's film industry is no longer defined by box office revenue alone. It has become a new growth engine that links and energizes multiple cultural sectors. At the heart of every successful film is strong storytelling. High-quality productions create cultural value, which in turn enhances the commercial value of intellectual property and opens up new consumption opportunities. I believe China's film industry delivered an outstanding performance in the past year," said Chen Xiaoda, vice dean of Shanghai Vancouver Film School.

Film IP fuels expansion of consumer market