A veteran C919 pilot, who has missed most Spring Festival's eves with his family over two decades of flying, is once again on duty during the Spring Festival travel rush, guiding passengers safely home for reunion.
The Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun, the world's largest annual human migration, is expected to see a record 9.5 billion inter-regional passenger trips across the country during this year's 40-day period from Feb 2 to March 13. Millions will embark on journeys to reunite with loved ones and celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year.
The C919, China's first domestically-developed large passenger jet, commenced commercial operations in May 2023. Major carriers including Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have all introduced the aircraft into their fleets, with most units deployed during this year's Spring Festival travel rush.
To cope with the travel rush, major airlines have also significantly expanded capacity. Air China has announced plans to operate more than 70,000 passenger flights during the period, while China Southern Airlines is scheduled to conduct over 126,000 passenger flights.
At 07:00, Hao Xin, a C919 pilot from Air China, begins his day preparing for flight CA8204, starting with an alcohol test and pre-flight briefing before heading to the airport.
"The Spring Festival travel rush is a crucial period for Chinese people. The volume of passenger trips increases significantly. The passenger load for the C919 is relatively high. The flight is often fully booked," said Hao.
With all pre-flight preparations complete, passengers begin boarding Hao's flight to Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. A major transportation hub and one of China's most populous cities, Wuhan awaits travelers brimming with the joy of holiday and family reunion.
"The Spring Festival is very important for the Chinese and it's also great to be part of it and see family reunions and get together with everybody, it is good to see the spirit of China," said a passenger.
Upon arriving in Wuhan, the aircraft remains on the ground for just one hour before Hao departs with another group of passengers bound for the nation's capital.
"I think every holiday is the busiest working time for transportation industry workers. I have been working as a pilot for 23 years. I have only been able to reunite with my family on New Year's Eve less than five times," Hao said.
Hao said that although he cannot reunite with his own family during this traditional festival, seeing so many passengers arrive home safely and embrace their loved ones brings him great joy.
Veteran C919 pilot sticks to post during Spring Festival
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
