Yesterday, major national highways across Guangdong Province welcomed the first peak of motorcyclists returning home for the Spring Festival. It is estimated that this year, around 600,000 migrant workers will return home by motorcycle, a 20% increase compared to last year.
Early yesterday morning, at the Longshan Sinopec gas station next to the Longshan toll station in Foshan, the sight of hundreds of motorcycles stopping for free refueling and rest was truly spectacular.
Many motorcyclists were “armed to the teeth,” equipped with hats, scarves, gloves, knee pads, and raincoats.
Liu Lin, from Chongqing, explained that train tickets are impossible to get, while bus ticket prices fluctuate daily—from just 650 yuan the day before yesterday to 700 yuan yesterday. A round trip costs nearly 1,500 yuan. Riding back home on his motorcycle costs only four to five hundred yuan for the round trip, but takes two or three days of tough riding: “When tired, I just munch on some dry food. If I get too sleepy at night, I find a hourly hotel to sleep for a couple of hours before heading out again.”
There were also many motorcyclists traveling with their children. The youngest motorcycled baby was just 5 months old, sound asleep in a swaddle. Ni Huaibin from Sichuan brought his 6-year-old son and rode over 1,000 kilometers. The journey was tough, but thinking of his elderly parents back home, he still decided to bring his son along: “We only see each other once a year. Grandpa and grandma miss their grandson. We have to bring him home for the reunion during the New Year.”
It is understood that those who ride motorcycles home are mainly traveling from Guangdong to provinces such as Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hunan.
Yesterday marked the arrival of the first peak of motorcycle travelers returning home, with the highest peak expected to occur within the five days leading up to the New Year.
Zhu Hai, who has 13 years of riding experience, said that you must take a break after every hour of riding: “After an hour, your hands and feet start to go numb, and the tires can easily overheat. If the road conditions are bad, accidents can easily happen.”