Pic story: Spring Festival travel rush - migrant worker's way back home

Gao Li enters the departure hall of Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 28, 2021. On the first day of the Spring Festival travel rush in 2021, Gao Li, a "post-90s" migrant worker in Shanghai, packed up his luggage and set foot on his way back to his hometown of Huangpi, Wuhan of central China for the Spring Festival. Before checking in, he fumbled for the negative nucleic acid testing report in his bag. Nothing could be more important than this piece of "luggage". Two days ago, Shanghai medical workers came to Gao Li's working site and conducted nucleic acid testing on more than 100 workers who planned to return home. On Jan. 27, they got their important "pass". At 7:55 this morning, train G598 left Shanghai Hongqiao Station on time. Gao stared out of the window, eager to return home. The train sped along. Gao could not wait to see his loved ones he hadn't seen for a long time. In fact, long absence is not only relatives, but also a taste of the New Year. "For us Wuhan people, there are a lot of emotions that have been stored up and we need to express them in this reunion moment," said Gao Li. Gao is an installation worker of the China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd. After the outbreak of the Wuhan epidemic last year, he went to Wuhan with his father Gao Yongxiang and relatives from his hometown to become the first group of builders of Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital, which was swiftly built for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. On this trip home, Gao received one nucleic acid testing, two times of whole-body disinfections, three health QR code checks and four body temperature tests. When arriving at the village committee of Shuikousi Village, local village officials checked his negative nucleic acid testing report and distributed him with epidemic prevention notices and anti-epidemic supplies. According to the relevant policies, Gao does not need any form of isolation, and only need to monitor his health conditions at home and accept routine nucleic acid testings. "Last year, the village officials said that after the epidemic, there will be a reunion year. Now I understand this truth better. Only when everyone is healthy can there be happy families and a peaceful country," Gao said. This year's Spring Festival travel rush is the first of its kind under normal epidemic prevention and control. Xinhua reporters followed Gao Li's footsteps from his working place in Shanghai to his hometown Huangpi, Wuhan, to record his way back home during the Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)