The world's biggest movement of people has started. This is the first day of the Spring Festival travel rush. Students, migrant workers, businessmen and other passengers bought tickets for trains, buses, and planes to go home for the Lunar New Year on February 8.

The worst cold weather has disrupted travel plans of thousands as millions embarked on journeys home yesterday, the first day of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. Hope the weather would improve in the coming days. Motorcycle riders were also on the move yesterday. Clad in helmets, masks, thick gloves, raincoats, knee guards and layers of plastic bags around their legs, dozens of workers started their journeys from our wealthy Guangdong Province, where they work, to neighboring Guangxi. Our HK TV showed motorcyclist Wang Tianzhang got up at 4am yesterday for a tiring two-day ride with his wife and fellow workers. They work in Foshan, Guangdong, and their hometown is an ethnic village in Guangxi's Hechi City. A train ride takes about 20 hours and requires several transfers. For them, riding motorbikes is more convenient and cost less. The weather got worse as we headed toward Guangxi. It was freezing, and they had to stop every hour to find some warmth. In eastern and northeastern China, where more high-speed rail routes operate, traffic pressure has eased this year. A high-speed railway linking Shanghai with the northern city of Harbin takes about 12 hours, about half the travel time for a slower train.

Some people choose not to return home for different reasons. Some do not have good jobs so they prefer to stay and save up some money, so that they can return to hometown permanently in future. They can use their phones to contact family and relatives back home without having to go through the tough journey home. A person can be happy anywhere as long as he has a plan for his own future and keep contact with people at their distant hometown.

More migrant workers have settled in cities and no longer go back to their hometowns for the lunar new year. Other migrant workers are also choosing employment near their hometowns as salaries in eastern provinces lose their attraction.A migrant workers said going home has never been easy. In a few years, I will save enough money to find a job near my home and stay close to my family.

Personally, I myself, do not have to travel because home is where I am now. I celebrate the festival too. My city has a very strong and colorful Spring Festival tradition. There would be plenty of New Year celebrations, food and snacks. I love the Brown sweet pudding (Nien Ko) and other wonderful snacks.

No matter where you are, you can live a meaningful life, improve yourself, work hard, relax when you can, plan properly and do the needful for your better future. Best wishes for the new Lunar New Year.