Migrant workers return home for family reunion

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-22-2009 12:25

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Each year's Spring Festival sees an exodus of migrant workers moving from the richer southern coastal areas to their hometowns in poorer central and western regions.

Each year's Spring Festival sees an exodus of migrant workers  moving from the richer southern coastal areas to their  hometowns in poorer central and western regions.

Despite the impact of the global financial crisis on their income and job prospects, migrant workers are longing for a happy reunion with their families during the Spring Festival holiday.

This is the largest railway way hub in southern China. Each year before the Chinese New Year, tens of millions of passengers, most of them rural migrant workers working at manufacturing bases in Guangdong's Pearl River Delta area take trains home from Guangzhou Raiwaly Station. This year, a record number of passengers are expected to depart from the Guangzhou transit point, putting the local rail system under huge pressure.

44-year-old Long Shigu comes from Hubei province. She works at an electronic parts factory in Shenzhen. She wasn't able to go home for the Spring Festival last year because of the snowstorm that paralyzed parts of the country. This year her desire to be reunited with her family is greater than ever.

Migrant worker Long Shigu said, "I really miss home. My son, daughter, husband and grandma are all at home, wishing for my return. It's the only chance for a family reunion during the whole year."