Zeitgeist Films

You’re probably aware that yesterday was the first day of the Chinese New Year - this one being the Year of the Dragon (coincidentally, both Zeitgeist bloggers were born in another Year of the Dragon - we’ll let you guess which).

You might not have known that the Chinese New Year is the reason for the largest annual human migration in the world. Ready for some crazy stats? It’s estimated that this year 200 million people (mostly migrant workers) traveled/are traveling home to visit their families (in many cases, this will be the only time they’ll be together all year). The trip can take up to 48 hours by train (the most prevalent transportation method), and the majority of travelers won’t even have a seat throughout the journey.

The Chinese Rail Ministry unintentionally added to the chaos involved in booking tickets by setting up a website (for the first time) on which it was intended that Chinese citizens would be able to reserve seats ahead of time without waiting in long lines at train stations. Unfortunately, this site was woefully unprepared and experienced multiple crashes per day. Then there’s the fact that many migrant workers don’t have access to (nor experience with) the internet. NPR covered the uproar in this online radio piece (it’s short, give it a listen).

For a quick glimpse at what one of the New Year’s bus rides looks like, check out this 2010 report from Al Jazeera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWz1DoP2vpc

You can get a more intimate look at this trek in Lixin Fan’s Last Train Home, which follows the family of Zhang Changhua and Chen Suqin, and how they cope with the strain of having to live so far from their rebellious teenaged daughter. Click through the pic for a link to a longer synopsis.

Megabus doesn’t look so bad now, does it?