BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- It was one of many winter mornings in northeast China. People flashed their health QR codes, had their body temperature measured, and went through security checks before entering a bus terminal for a homebound journey. Everything happened in measured steps.
More than two years into the COVID-19 epidemic, people have more experience with the virus. Something familiar came back in the air in the run-up to the Spring Festival on Tuesday.
More people left for home. A total of 260 million trips were made in the first 10 days of the travel rush, up 46 percent compared with the same period of 2021. Migrant workers, people on hometown visits, and college students remained the majority of the travelers on the road. Most of the traffic has taken place on highways and railways.
Based in Wuhan, the city hard hit by the virus in early 2020, the China Railway Wuhan Group Co., Ltd. planned to add 69 "red-eye" bullet trains to fetch people from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, megacities in south China's Guangdong Province.
The era of touchless interaction is fast-tracked. A train station in east China's Jiangxi Province has deployed a smart robot. It provides information for those in need, processes electronic tickets, and disinfects facilities. In south China, people could revise their destinations, or travel dates, at 276 ticket railway station kiosks operated by the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co., Ltd.
Despite the onslaught of the Omicron and Delta variants, government measures have become increasingly accurate, dynamic, and differentiated. Precise management and smooth transport are the norms. Authorities were warned against an excessive, simplistic approach to epidemic control. Instead, law and empathy prevail.
That said, many people plan to continue a relatively new custom - celebrating the festival where they live and work. Shi, a company employee in Zhengzhou, the capital city of central China's Henan Province, had his parents come over for the third straight Spring Festival reunion.
Convenience is a massive factor behind the decision, said Shi, who would only provide his surname. Markets operated as usual last year, he said. "Doing groceries and shopping was convenient."
Zhang Bo, chief of the local commerce bureau, anticipated more residents would stay put during the holiday. He expressed confidence in market supply, citing his experience over the previous two years. It was a daunting prospect for a city with more than 12 million permanent residents, trying to manage another outbreak wave at that time.
The metropolis began to release pork, eggs, and vegetable reserves on Jan. 24. A 24-hour hotline receives complaints about life necessities. Lorry drivers could conduct quick nucleic acid tests for free.
More than 500 km away to the west, Xi'an just fought off an invasion of the Delta variant. It started to release a total of 10,000 tonnes of vegetable reserves on the same day, at a price 15 percent below the previous day.
The northwest Chinese city also launched a cloud service to juggle the traditional shopping spree and epidemic prevention and control. Reunion dinner delivery is encouraged.
Products that feature health, intelligence, environment conservation, and winter sports have prevailed in the online Spring Festival shopping spree.
Shoppers embrace items like floor scrubbers, smart projectors, eco-friendly fur, and organic food. Art derivatives of museums, traditional instruments, and Hanfu (a traditional garment of the Han ethnic group) are in style. As the Beijing Winter Olympics draws near, ski equipment sales have shot up.
To accommodate residents who stay put, the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu unveiled more than 200 cultural and art projects, including theatre plays and exhibitions. The millennia-old city also tapped its rich heritage and designed 40 outdoor tourism routes.
Traditional culture features at festive shows. A gala held in central China's Hubei Province was inspired by the worship of fire and phoenix in ancient Chu culture. Fire, as the symbol of civilization, linked the legend of drilling wood for fires to China's Mars rover Zhurong.
Authorities promote traditional family values and low-carbon lifestyle.
Care also goes to those in difficulties. The central government has allocated 132.9 billion yuan (around 20.8 billion U.S. dollars) in subsidies. Local governments must ensure the lives of those stranded where they work due to COVID-19.
In Zhouqu County, northwest China's Gansu Province, villager Liu Changhai will celebrate the first Spring Festival at his new home following publicly funded resettlement from a hamlet deep in the mountains and prone to landslide, debris flow, and collapse.
Including Liu, 3,495 people in 850 households have moved into the white and gray houses built for the two-phase resettlement project. Some 1,500 have landed jobs, and more than 600 kids are now in kindergartens or schools.
A thousand kilometers away to the south, people who suffered in a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in September have had their homes repaired or reconstructed. Others relocated to public properties. More residential buildings will be ready in April.
"The new house is cozy. Cured pork belly is ready. The only thing left is to receive our daughter and celebrate the lunar new year," said Li Guangzhao, a villager. ■
