In pics: first day of 2019 Spring Festival travel rush

Staff members of mother-and-child waiting room escort passengers at Taiyuan Railway Station in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 21, 2019. Hundreds of millions of Chinese return to their hometowns every year for the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, family reunions, thus forming the Spring Festival travel rush. The Spring Festival will begin on Feb. 5 this year. The 40-day 2019 Spring Festival travel rush started on Jan. 21, with 3 billion trips expected to be made. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)