More than 34.7 million passenger trips were made across China on Saturday, the first day of this year's 40-day Spring Festival travel rush which lasts until February 15.

Passengers prepare to board a train in Suzhou Railway Station in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, January 7, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua)

The total is up 38.9 percent over the same period last year but 48.6 percent down compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019.