China On Ice

Jianan Yu / Reuters

Homecoming havoc: With snow still falling, travelers queue up for tickets at a railway station in the city of Hefei hoping to get home for Chinese New Year

Bedraggled and wet, Gao Biao stands in front of the Guangzhou train station with an umbrella in his hand and stares glumly at the crush of people in front of him. For the past year the 27-year-old has worked for a cosmetics factory in this southern Chinese city, and now he's trying to get home to see his mother near Suzhou in eastern China, 20 hours away by rail. He's going to miss his connection. Around him hundreds of people, all hoping to find seats, push toward an opening in the metal fence surrounding the station as a police...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!