Hundreds Of Millions Of Chinese Hit The Road To Create The World's Most Horrifying Traffic Jams [PHOTOS]
It's the Golden Week holiday in China. This is the time of year when hundreds of millions of urban Chinese residents take some time off and travel to their rural home.
China's railways already had a record 10.33 million passengers on October 1, the first day of the Golden Week holiday. This was up 13% on the year. The Ministry of Transport expects 610 million more travelers to use the road and waterways during the holidays reports Xinhua.
The week long holiday always leads to some of the most spectacular traffic jams we have ever seen. We put together some early images.
Here's an image from photojournalist Sean Gallagher:
"Tired of waiting, drivers and passengers go for strolls along the highway. Today is the first day of China's national holiday. Most people take the opportunity to escape the major cities and return to their hometowns for a few days. In China, that means that millions are on the move. I'll be documenting my experiences over the coming days as I embark on a 1000 km road trip to Shandong Province in the north-east of the country. 1st Oct, 2013."
Mark Stone of Sky News tweeted this picture of an early morning traffic jam in China's Shandong province:
Throngs of people visit tourist spots on National Day which kicks off the Golden Week holiday.
An AP photo shows paramilitary policemen pushing crowds of tourists to the entrance to an underpass to cross the street between Tiananmen Square and Tiananmen Gate:
AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan
Here are some images from previous years, of traffic jams and the stuff people to do to pass the time when they're stuck in them: