The first week of October will soon be here, which is very good news if you are in China because it means that everybody has a week’s holiday. This is the ‘National holiday’, commemorating the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Across the country, nearly everyone has seven days to choose to go home and see their family or explore exciting new destinations. That is to say, a potential 1,321,851,888 people may decide to hit the road. Phew! So if you are planning on traveling too, be prepared for a busy ride. Apparently the transport system is already getting ready. 1.2 million extra tickets have been printed for the metro in Shanghai to deal with the extra crowds . I hear that train tickets away from Beijing at this time have nearly all sold out.  Many tourist sites are usually at full capacity during this period.

I remember the last time I travelled during the national holiday on an overnight hard sleeper. The train station was overflowing with people. As soon as the gate for the train platform opened, a huge tidal wave of passengers zoomed through to board the train. Likewise, coming off the train, through the station and out into the great outdoors again, I felt I had little need for my own feet because I was jampacked by people rushing in the same direction that I was pushed along with them whether I liked it or not.

So why choose to travel when it is so busy? I guess the answer is that if you are working or studying then it is likely to be the only chance you will get.

In fact, I am pretty excited about the madness of traveling during the holiday this time round. While I am not a fan of crowded situations, I do like the holiday atmosphere.

Apart from hotels, shops and restaurants, lots of businesses will be closed at this time. So it is not the best week if you need to get things done. Even if you’re not going anywhere, it is definitely a good time to kick off your shoes and relax.

Reference:
http://shanghaiist.com/2007/09/26/were_staying_ho.php

Technorati Tags: Golden Week National Holiday October