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It's Day 2 of Golden Week in China, the annual 7-day holiday celebrating the country's National Day. And, as is the case every year, colossal numbers of people are on the move, travelling both in and outside China. Statistics this year have been record-breaking - on day one of the holiday, 14.4 million people travelled by train, up 15% on last year.
More than 500 additional trains were put into service to accommodate the extra passengers. There were also record highs on day one for air travel - over 960,000 passengers took to the skies, an increase of 6.4% on 2015. Toll roads also ditched their fees which led to the inevitable gridlock on the country's highways.
The number of people on the move smashed records on the first day of the National Day holiday, which this year marks the 67th anniversary of the founding the People's Republic of China.
There was a huge spike in the number of cars on the road, taking advantage of the toll-free holiday special.
In Shanghai, a 10-kilometer stretch of highway ground to a complete standstill.
In Guagnzhou, it was tough luck for 47 tourists hoping to travel to Thailand. The plane took off, but without them - they were stranded at the airport because their guide was stuck in traffic, and he had their passports with him.
At 8:30, the tour guide said 'calm down', saying that they would come, but after 8:30, they all turned off their cellphones.
The tour guide said, when he took the shuttle bus to the airport, he was taken aback.
It normally takes over 2 hours. Yesterday I was on the bus from 2pm to 10 pm...over seven hours.
And it wasn't just this tourist group affected. From 4 PM to 9 PM there wasn't anything "express" about the expressway to Guangzhou airport. Cars at a standstill resulted in over 500 passengers missing their flights.
Around Beijing, there were severe tailbacks on five major motorways, mostly caused by accidents. Three police helicopters were sent to monitor and report on the situation. Examples of illegal driving were spotted - such as using the hard shoulder as a short cut.
In Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou province, around 100,000 tickets were sold at the city's train station to passengers travelling home.
But amid the chaos, there was also some fun.
This small train in Leshan in southwest China became a hit among tourists.
It feels like a scene from an old movies. Very interesting as it shakes and rattles along the way.
(Source: CNTV)
