The Shenzhen-Zhongshan link in south China's Guangdong Province has recorded a notable rise in traffic, with China's 2026 Spring Festival travel rush now in full swing.
During this year's Spring Festival travel rush, Guangdong is estimated to record about 307 million vehicle trips and about 1.16 billion cross-regional passenger trips, according to local transportation authorities.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which opened to traffic in June 2024, is a mega cross-sea passage in south China that features two bridges, two artificial islands, and an underwater tunnel.
As a key transport hub connecting Shenzhen, Zhongshan, and Guangzhou's Nansha District, the link has entered its peak traffic period, with daily traffic volumes expected to exceed 160,000 vehicles on the busiest days.
Local transportation authorities forecast that the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link will handle high traffic throughout this year's travel season, with total vehicle trips projected to surpass 4 million.
Given the sustained high traffic volume, ensuring smooth and safe travel has become a priority. To this end, local authorities have established joint service posts on key locations across the link. Emergency vehicles, including road sweepers, rescue vehicles, and patrol cars, are on standby around the clock at the post to ensure rapid response.
Besides, nearly 200 personnel from departments including traffic police, fire rescue, and highway management, along with nearly 100 specialized vehicles, will maintain 24/7 operations along the link throughout the travel rush period.
Furthermore, to help travelers experience a richer festive atmosphere, multiple expressway service areas in Guangdong have set up special Chinese New Year goods markets. Local specialties including Cantonese cured meats are available, allowing the festive spirit to travel with the flow of passengers and vehicles into households across the country.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on February 17 this year, and the official holiday lasts nine days. The annual travel surge, known as chunyun, is expected to generate a record 9.5 billion inter-regional passenger trips during the 40-day period running from February 2 to March 13 this year.
Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in Guangdong gears up for surging Spring Festival travel
More of China's A-share listed companies have disclosed major contract wins and full order books at the beginning of 2026, underscoring a solid start in the year and sending positive signals of a steady recovery and strong endogenous momentum in the country's economy.
Since the start of the year, more than 100 listed companies have announced major bid wins or contract signings, according to financial data company Wind data.
The newly secured orders span a wide range of sectors, from large-scale domestic infrastructure projects to international market cooperation, featuring sizable volumes and a diversified structure.
These developments have laid a sound foundation for corporate operations throughout the year while reinforcing confidence in China's economic recovery.
"Contracts worth over one billion yuan (around 144 million U.S. dollars) have been concentrated mainly in the infrastructure sector. Since the beginning of this year, listed companies have secured major project orders totaling more than 43 billion yuan (around 6.2 billion U.S. dollars). The launch of these projects has brought direct business support for enterprises while boosting market confidence in economic recovery, further vitalizing the industrial chain," said Tian Lihui, dean of the Institute of Finance and Development at Nankai University.
Infrastructure investment is also increasingly integrated with national strategies such as new energy and smart cities, with traditional infrastructure showing a clear trend toward intelligent and green upgrading.
In the ecological and environmental protection sector, several new projects worth hundreds of millions of yuan have been initiated, covering sanitation services, water conservation and waste treatment, highlighting green infrastructure as a new growth driver.
And a number of listed companies reported that overseas orders have significantly supported earnings growth.
With improving business performance, companies are becoming more proactive in disclosing order information, particularly during earnings forecast periods, to convey positive signals to the market.
Wind data show that more than 750 listed companies voluntarily disclosed order developments in 2025, accounting for 13.75 percent of the total.
Nearly 60 percent of companies with full orders are expected to see year-on-year net profit growth or significantly narrowed losses in 2025, with growth momentum likely to sustain into 2026.
Among them, 16 companies are projected to maintain net profit growth of over 10 percent from 2025 to 2027.
"The trend significantly reflects the longer-term vision of corporate performance, with the market now able to assess prospects over one or even two years rather than just a single quarter as before," said Zhang Yusheng, chief strategy analyst at Everbright Securities.
Industry observers believe that, amid sustained improvement in performance, the proactive disclosure of orders by listed companies helps stabilize market expectations, boost investor confidence and highlight growth potential, guiding capital toward high-quality enterprises.
A-share firms report strong order intake
