Guangdong Province in south China is one of the major destinations for migrant workers from the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. During the Spring Festival travel rush, many workers in the past returned home for the family reunion by motorbike, Wuzhou in Guangxi becoming a popular stopover in the journey.

However, while the number of motorcyclists setting out from Guangdong and passing through Wuzhou peaked in 2013, reaching 250,000, this year it is expected to decline to around 2,000.

There are several reasons for this. Although riding 2,000 km on motorcycle to return home seems heroic in public imagination, the long drive and changing weather can pose safety risks.

From the end of 2014, the number of motorcyclists between the two places began to decrease as the expanded railway network made the journey more convenient, shortening the time of travel. The reasonable ticket prices and the comfortable travel environment began to win over more migrant workers.

In addition, convenient water and highway transportation and policies allowing free passage of cars on expressways today provide them with more options.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Youth.cn on February 19 

(Print Edition Title: Safer Travel)