China: Tears of joy flooded Li Ji’s eyes when her flight finally landed in Beijing, wrapping up her three-day trek home from Omaha, the United States.
Li, a pediatrician working in the state of Nebraska, has been away from home for eight years. While the COVID-19 pandemic made travelling home difficult over the past three years, it has also caused her to realize the importance of making such a journey once conditions allowed.
The reunion comes after China’s latest adjustment to COVID-19 response. Convenient domestic travels and the resumption of more cross-border air routes are bringing back millions of homesick Chinese people for the grandest celebration of the year.
Across the whole country, people are feeling the same sense of anticipation regarding this year’s Spring Festival.
Around 2.1 billion passenger trips are expected to be made during this year’s travel rush, or “Chunyun,” between January 7 and February 15, with more than half driven by family reunions, according to the Ministry of Transport. The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, marks the transition from one zodiac sign to another. As 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, Lichuan’s old street is filled with lights, lanterns and decorations featuring cute rabbit designs, while a variety of folk activities are in evidence. Their five-year-old son has been filled with joy and curiosity on a daily basis.
The rabbit, the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac, is a beloved animal in China, symbolizing grace, mercy, auspiciousness and good luck. These are also things that most Chinese people wish for in 2023.
- XINHUA
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