China braces for record 190 million passenger trips on Chinese New Year's Eve

China's transportation system is bracing for the busiest day of the Spring Festival travel rush, with a record 190 million passengers expected to travel on Tuesday's Chinese New Year's Eve.

The travel rush, known as 'chunyun' in Chinese, is considered the world's largest annual human migration and coincides with China's biggest traditional celebration, the Spring Festival, a time when Chinese people return home for family reunions to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan 29 this year.

This year's Spring Festival travel rush runs from Jan 14 to Feb 22.

On Tuesday, the country's railway network is estimated to transport 7.8 million passengers, with 423 trains added to accommodate the surging demand.

Road trips are mostly short, and the road traffic flow is expected to remain at a relatively low level on Tuesday and Wednesday, until it rises again on Thursday.

The civil aviation sector is estimated to handle 16,640 flights on Tuesday.

The death toll in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip has risen to 71,441 since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, with the number of injuries reaching 171,329, said Gaza's health authorities on Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, hospitals in Gaza received two bodies, according to the health authorities.

Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 451 people and wounded 1,251 others in the Gaza Strip.