Just one quick observation about the sights we see this time of year. Starting from about the 15th of the month, and continuing through the 10th of February, everyone travels. It's like Thanksgiving Sunday on steroids.
Our office is right next to the main Guangzhou train station, so the crowds outside on the street are at least 5x what they are on a normal day. The travelers coming in and out of the train station never ends.
And they all see to carry these gigantic plastic bags. It's not a plastic bag from a grocery store, but a large bag that zips made of material that you would cover your outdoor porch furniture with in the winter. It's plastic-like on the outside, but there is some cloth on the inside. I hope someone in the comments has a better way to describe this material.
When I say they are gigantic, I mean it. It is not a reusable bag from the store - it can easily fit a large suitcase inside of it. When packed, they can weigh up to 60-70 pounds.
Everyone has these bags - and they are brightly colored; red and yellow stripes; blue and green flowers; purple stripes with blue accents. All these people in grey clothing carrying this massive colorful bag.
What's in there? I can't help but think it is the majority of their life's belongings. This is the big holiday for the country, where people travel to their family for 2-3 weeks; why wouldn't they pack up everything in that bage for the trip?
It's oddly mesmerizing to watch these old women, weighing 90 pounds, carrying a 50 pound bag with their possessions around the train station area, looking in vain for their family members to show up and pick them up.
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