Chinese New Year of 2024

Chinese New Year is the largest human migration event every year. Billions of trips take place during the Chinese New Year travel crush. Transport tickets sell out quickly and the prices rise. Yet nothing would prevent people from returning to their hometown after working hard outside for an entire year. For those who work in their hometowns, it's a precious chance to take a trip to a faraway destination.

I took a self-driving trip to Jiangxi province with my girlfriend this year. To avoid the traffic jam, we set out at the second day of the holiday, and planned to return one day before the end of the holiday. It turned out we successfully escaped the giant traffic jam, but the trip still cost us 50% more of the time on highways than usual.

We arrived at Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi province, after 10 hours of driving at the first day. I was exhausted and hungry, but the Nanchang mixed rice noodle and a bunch of delicious snacks brought me alive. The food in Nanchang is famous for its savory, salty, and spicy flavors. Nanchang is actually the city where I went to college. Although I studied there for almost 4 years, I didn't visit many places in the city, including the most famous Tengwang pavilion. PuPu, my girlfriend, and I visited Tengwang pavilion the following day, where we enjoyed a captivating dance and light show.

Then we went to Jingdezhen, a city famous for its porcelain industry since ancient times.

Afterwards, we traveled to Wuyuan with the hope of viewing the canola flower fields. Unfortunately, the Chinese New Year falls too early for the canola flowers to bloom. But we did enjoy the ancient architecture there.

The last place we visited is Sanqing mountain, which is famous for its breathtaking view and significant connection to taoism. The name "Sanqing" actually originates from Laozi, the forefather of Taoism. Unfortunately, the weather was foggy and rainy, so we didn't get the chance to view the scenery.

The trip was a little bit of hurry and the weather was not perfect, but we still enjoyed the trip. I believe that the quality of a trip is not determined by the scenery or the food. Instead, it is more important to have an open mind and curiosity towards the world.