Reunions matter, wherever they take place

Passengers wait for getting on the subway at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 23, 2015. China saw a passenger flow return peak on Monday as the week-long Lunar New Year holiday drew to an end. [Photo/Xinhua]

Family reunions are one of the most important parts of the Spring Festival, and every year lots of people working far away from home rush back to visit their parents. Recently though, a new trend has emerged, in which parents travel to visit their children. Comments:

The population outflow from cities to rural regions approaching the Spring Festival puts heavy pressure on the transport system every year. Now out-of-the-box thinking has partly solved the problem, with parents traveling the other way round. This new trend is also changing our definition of home, as home is where family members get together.

xinhuanet.com, Feb 24

Increasingly more parents are choosing to join their children working away from home at the Spring Festival. This is a good trend, but children need to remember that their parents have different life experiences, so their opinions and living habits might be different. Please give them care, love and understanding. Only with ample respect will the parents feel at home in big cities.

cntv.com, Feb 16

Some of those working far away from home might fear their living situation is not good; however their parents won't care. The biggest wish of parents is to meet their children and talk with them, and where the family enjoys the reunion is not important.

Li Songping, a professor at School of Tourism Management, Jiujiang University, Feb 25

The old mode of working people going home for a family reunion is actually a little outdated, because they have to spend hours, even days, of their precious holiday traveling; sometimes they might even be more tired after the holiday. The new trend of parents visiting their children is better suited to today's lifestyles, because most parents have retired and have more time. Predictably, this trend will continue.

Shao Xiaoying, a vice professor at Fudan University, Feb 20