This January sees the start of the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese dragon, opposite to its western counterpart, is perceived as an auspicious, powerful and dynamic icon, always courageous enough to face daunting challenges.
Chinese Lunar New Year/Spring Festival is when traditionally Chinese families get together to exchange presents and to wish each other well. With between 150 to 200m Chinese from rural areas working in big cities in China, the week-long break is a must-travel time. Most do so by rail, though many take coaches and some fly. The travel exodus is exacerbated by students visiting families too. It is estimated that 3bn passenger trips are incurred during for the two-way trips.
The Chinese railways lay on up to a 1,000 addition trips at the two weekends on either end. This year, a new on-line and telephone system that was meant to ease booking problems actually contributed to chaos as many migrant workers do not use the Internet and many do not know how to book by phone, especially as some form of credit facility is needed. Another case of the manifestation of the “Law of Unintended Consequences” or, in this case, “The Law of Contrary Consequences”.
The fundamental problem is that migrant workers are not issued with full residency permits in the cities in which they spend 90% of their lives and often cannot either afford to or are allowed to bring their children with them. The children therefore remains in the village looked after by the grandparents. This in turn means if there is no wisit, they do not see their offspring at all!
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2012-01/12/content_14426708.htm
