Spring Transportation (Passenger transportation), the extremely high traffic load of transportation in China around Chinese New Year, begins on January 8 in 2009 and lasts for around 40 days. The period is also called Spring Festival travel season, or Chunyun period.

Lots of people return home from work or study at a long distance from their hometowns to reunite with their families during the traditional Spring Festival. Workers from China's less developed (mostly rural) areas go to work in the more prosperous coastal regions, such as Guangdong and Fujian Provinces. Migrant workers are a major part of the passengers every year. Further, many people travel for pleasure around the week-long holiday, adding to the pressure on the transportation system. The most affected modes of transportation are railway and road networks.

Some factories in the cities in Guangdong province are influenced by the financial crisis at the end of 2008. The shrinking orders from overseas has forced many manufacturers to close shops or cut their staff strength. Some workers have to return home from the cities earlier than usual.