A group of "motorcycle friends" passed through Zhaoqing and headed for Guangxi. Photo by Chai Jiawei.
In 2014, the "motorcycle army" returning to their hometowns passed by the top of the barracks in Fengshun County, Meizhou, and volunteers came to deliver hot porridge. Information**.
In 2017, at the Longshan gas station in Foshan, volunteers sent ginger tea to the "motorcycle army" to ward off the cold. Information**.
On February 1, 2024, Yun'an District, Yunfu City, launched a volunteer activity of "Warm Youth, Spring and Warm Winter", providing porridge and pasta. Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Yun'an District, Yunfu City.
On February 1, Xiao Yu, a young man from Yunnan, returned to his hometown in Yunnan from Dongguan on a motorcycle. Photo by Chai Jiawei.
I didn't expect so many young people to return home on motorcycles! When riding through National Highway 321, Xiao Yu saw many motorcyclists who also returned home on motorcycles, and he was excited.
Returning to his hometown during the Spring Festival this year, Xiao Yu, a young man born after "00", made a bold decision - to ride a motorcycle from Dongguan, Guangdong Province to his hometown in Wenshan, Yunnan. The three-day ride also gave Xiao Yu a deeper understanding of the "motorcycle army" of his father's return to his hometown, "The older generation worked hard to ride a motorcycle home to reunite with their families, and the road was really hard." Unlike his parents, Xiao Yu chose to ride back to his hometown independently, focusing on enjoying freedom and experiencing the process.
The Spring Festival affects the hearts of hundreds of millions of people. For more than 20 years, there has been such a group of people, who ride motorcycles, carry luggage and their families, rain or shine, along the national highway that runs through the east and west, and are affectionately known as the "Iron Cavalry Army" and "Motorcycle Army".
With the development of social economy, the number of "motorcycle army" is decreasing year by year. However, the escort of "Cantonese-style warm current" has always been carried out and constantly upgraded, which is the consistent Spring Festival transportation responsibility of Guangdong, a major province of labor.
Southern ** reporter Lu Yixuan, Wu Fan, Shi Liang.
Co-ordinator: Zhong Zhanfeng.
Follow the path of your father's cycling again.
In the early morning of February 1, Xiao Yu rode his beloved motorcycle in Humen Town, Dongguan, installed the action camera with the car, and disappeared into the vast night.
On the same day, Xiao Yu set off from Humen, Dongguan, all the way through Guangzhou and Foshan, arrived in Zhaoqing to meet other friends, and then along the 321 National Highway, all the way to the west, passing through Fengkai County into Guangxi. After 12 hours of riding and walking 530 kilometers, Xiao Yu ended the first day of his trip in Guigang, Guangxi.
In order to return to his hometown for this trip, Xiao Yu made full preparations, in addition to planning the route and calling friends, he also prepared more than 100 warm babies and more than 50 foot heating tablets, and specially bought professional cycling boots and cycling clothes. Along the way, such as the free ginger soup, tea, chargers, hand warmers, simple maintenance tools, convenient oil drums and rest chairs provided by the Guangdong service station, Xiao Yu was more relaxed along the way.
Although the long-distance ride is hard, Xiao Yu enjoys it. In his short ** account, he shared a lot of things he saw and interesting about this trip, and in a ** released on February 1, it was the picture of him driving on the Hejiang Bridge in Fengkai County, Zhaoqing.
Many of the younger people who returned to their hometowns on motorcycles have already returned to their hometowns.
On January 26, the first day of this year's Spring Festival, two "post-95" guys from Baise, Guangxi, Yang Xibo and Lu Mingkuang, set off from Foshan and embarked on a journey home of more than 800 kilometers.
Now the high-speed rail is very convenient, the time is short, and the cost is less than cycling back home. The two said that for young people who like "poetry and distance", riding a motorcycle home has more considerations and gains beyond time and money. It is a rare life experience to re-walk the cycling road of my parents and feel the years of hard work and struggle of my parents.
Zhou Zhaolin, a native of Tengxian County, Wuzhou, Guangxi, who has been working hard in Guangdong for 20 years, still remembers that it took 12 hours to walk home from Zhongshan on a motorcycle back to Tengxian County more than ten years ago. During the years when he rode home on a motorcycle, Zhou Zhaolin had to carry his lover, young son and packed luggage on his motorcycle, and it would be more troublesome if he went home on a rainy day. "When you ride on a rainy day, you have to wear a plastic raincoat, because sweat and rain can make you soak. He said.
It's not that you can't afford a high-speed rail ticket, but it's more fun to ride home by yourself during the holidays. For the Spring Festival travel home, these young people have different feelings and choices from the "motorcycle army" more than 20 years ago, riding home not because of the shortage of transportation capacity, but out of exploration and enriching life experience.
On January 27, the second day of the Spring Festival, the busyness of the Longshan gas station in Foshan, Guangdong continued. Since 2013, the Longshan gas station has provided free refueling, rest and other services for more than 4.58 million returnees returning to their hometowns, and invested more than 5 volunteers30,000 people.
In the past two years, the "motorcycle army" returning to their hometowns has changed compared to the past, "there are fewer than before, and many young people ride bicycles to 'experience the process'". The person in charge of the Yongsan gas station said.
The "army of motorcycles" of those years
In those years, the "motorcycle army" that returned home during the Spring Festival could be described as mighty.
According to the statistics of the Guangdong provincial transportation department, the size of the "motorcycle army" returning from Guangdong to the provinces and regions at the peak exceeded 1 million. Among them, in 2013, the "motorcycle army" of motorcycles transiting through Zhaoqing to and from Guangxi, Guizhou and other places reached a peak, about 1.1 million times, and since then, with the development of the economy, the cycling group has been decreasing year by year.
The reduction of the motorcycle army is the inevitable result of convenient transportation and the improvement of life, and it is also the epitome of China's sustainable development. Since 2012, the country's highway and railway transportation network has become more and more perfect, the passenger and freight capacity has been greatly improved, and there are more transportation options for travel; At the same time, the per capita disposable income of residents across the country has increased from 18,311 yuan in 2013 to 39,218 yuan in 2023.
In the years since the emergence of the "motorcycle army", Zhaoqing, as a "bridgehead" and transportation hub city connecting Guangdong and Guangxi, is the only way to enter the direction of Guangxi and Guizhou.
Wei Shiming is from Fengkai County, Zhaoqing, on the border of Guangzhou, and was a special photojournalist. In 2005 and for the next 14 years, he has been following and photographing the theme of the "motorcycle army" returning home, recording countless touching moments and stories of returning home.
Wei Shiming once filmed a photo titled "Escort in the Fog", in February 2015, a police car led the way for more than 3,000 motorcycles in the morning fog. On that day, the Fengkai traffic police pressed all the way from the Changgang toll station to safely escort the "motorcycle army" to the junction of Wuzhou, Guangxi, with a total distance of about 49 kilometers.
According to Wei Shiming's observation, since 2012, the size of the "motorcycle army" has been decreasing, "If it weren't for saving money, no one would want to drive a motorcycle to run hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in the wind and rain." Wei Shiming remembered that the most common thing that the "iron riders" interviewed once said was that driving a motorcycle home was mainly to save ...... fare
On every motorcycle, there is a family; Behind every "iron rider" is a period of hard work and struggle outside.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1998, Xiong Shimu, a young man from Wuzhou, Guangxi, walked out of his hometown and came to Dongguan to work, and in the following 20 years, Xiong Shimu traveled to Dongguan, Foshan and other places to work as a chef, sell clothing, sell fruits, and enter the factory, "tasted the ups and downs of life".
In 2008, Xiong Shimu came to work in a hardware company in Nanhai, Foshan, that is, from this year, Xiong Shimu joined the motorcycle homecoming army. "Riding a motorcycle from Foshan Nanhai, along National Highway 321, it takes five or six hours to get home."
Xiong Shimu's memory of "motorcycle homecoming" was finally frozen in 2017. This year, Xiong Shimu's transportation was "upgraded" from two wheels to four wheels. Since then, I no longer have to brave the wind, rain and cold when I go home for the Chinese New Year. In 2021, Xiong Shimu, who has entered the age of no doubt, returned to his hometown in Guangxi, and working in Wuzhou is also convenient for him to take better care of his family.
I have gained a lot in Guangdong, I met my lover in Guangdong, and my car and house were also returned from working hard in Guangdong. "More than 20 years of struggle in Guangdong have brought a better life to Xiong Shimu, and also left a strong mark in his life," now looking back, I want to say thank you to myself who came to Guangdong to work hard when I was young, and it was the persistence of the year that brought about today's life. ”
Most of the young people who were once full of ambition to enter Guangdong are now entering the age of no doubt. The journey home of the "motorcycle army" in those years has become a precious memory of a generation.
Cantonese warm current" The wind continues to blow.
In the past, hundreds of thousands of "motorcycle troops" often crossed the border after returning home during the Spring Festival, and there were many warm stories.
Xiong Shimu remembers this very well, and he still retains the **and** taken when he stopped at the service area of the "Warm Current Operation". In these low-resolution **and**, in addition to motorcycles and motorcyclists full of luggage, tents are eye-catching, and service points such as "hot water", "ginger porridge", "health and medical services", "fire point" and "motorcycle free maintenance point" are lined up all the way, and volunteers walk in the middle to provide services for motorcyclists.
Behind Operation Warm Current is a trickle. Wang Bin, an instructor of the Hengshan Squadron of the Traffic Police Brigade of the Guangning County Public Security Bureau in Zhaoqing City, became a grassroots traffic police officer in 2010. This year is the 12th year that he has participated in Operation Warm Current.
Wang Bin recalled that during the Spring Festival travel from 2012 to 2016, nearly 1,000 motorcycles crossed the border every day on average. The traffic police department escorted the convoy forward with police cars to prevent potential traffic hazards such as overtaking of large trucks.
We usually arrive at 7 a.m., are busy until 6 p.m., and sometimes leave at 9 p.m. when there are no motorcycles crossing the border and wait for the next day. Every day, Wang Bin's iron cavalry team has to shuttle back and forth between Guangning and Huaiji more than ten times, and after a few rounds, Wang Bin's hands have been frozen numb, and you can imagine how hard the "motorcycle army" comes from long distances. "The more we do and the more we run, the safer and warmer they are. Wang Bin said.
When Wang Bin first participated in Operation Warm Current in 2012, he met a young couple who had a cold and a high fever on the way. Wang Bin immediately escorted them to the nearest hospital with a police car with his colleagues, the couple walked in a hurry, left their wallets on the motorcycle, Wang Bin communicated with the hospital first*** The next day, the couple wanted to go to the traffic police brigade to express their gratitude but did not see Wang Bin, Wang Bin had already returned to the "Warm Current Operation" post.
Rescue the injured, safely evacuate, and search for lost children......In the "Warm Current Action", Wang Bin will help the masses do all kinds of small things every day. Wang Bin said that when he was on duty, he heard a sentence of "thank you" and "hard work", and it was worth it to work hard and tired on the road.
Over the years, with the increasing density of China's highway and railway network and the improvement of people's living standards, many of the "motorcycle army" have turned into "automobile army", and the Cantonese-style "warm current action" has also shifted the service position from the national highway to the high-speed service area and high-speed rail waiting area, and the service is more diverse and intimate.
Looking at Guangdong, more and more cities have begun to provide various types of volunteer services for returning drivers and passengers.
On the first day of this year's Spring Festival, the volunteer service activities with the theme of "Clear Love, Warm Way Home" on the Beijing-Zhuhai-North and Leguangbei Expressways in Shaoguan have been fully rolled out, bringing a unique cultural experience to the journey of passengers through the setting up of Yao intangible cultural heritage projects, sending blessings in spring, and warm-hearted bags.
Foshan's Longshan gas station is a must for most motorcyclists returning from Guangdong to their hometowns, and with the start of the Spring Festival in 2024, the Longshan gas station has welcomed a motorcycle team tens of meters long to return home. To this end, Foshan provided them with nearly 20 kinds of free services, including food, laundry, showers, etc., which warmed the hearts of the returning drivers and passengers.
This year, a large enterprise launched the "Warm Station" activity, and continued to provide "1+10+X" nearly 20 kinds of free services for all returnees at nearly 100 gas stations in 8 provinces (regions) including Guangdong, including 10 basic services such as emergency medicines, hot water, and simple maintenance, as well as a number of personalized services such as oil replacement and car repair.
The list goes on and on. Year after year, everyone interprets their own life on the road of struggle, and the story of returning home for the Spring Festival also reflects the development and changes of the era of the family and country. Over the years, spring is full of mountains and rivers, and on the road of the Spring Festival in Guangdong, the warmth is still the same.
On February 4, only 5 days before Chinese New Year's Eve, Xiao Yu, who returned to his hometown, began to busy shopping for New Year's goods to prepare for the New Year, and when asked if he would continue to ride in the future, he said with great anticipation: "In 2024, I plan to ride into Tibet with my friends to experience more and broader worlds." ”
Postscript. The Motorcycle Homecoming: From Home to Experience.
The Spring Festival in 2024 has been launched for a period of time, and the southern ** reporter observed Zhaoqing, Foshan and other places in Guangdong and found that the number of people returning to their hometowns by motorcycles is decreasing year by year, but the story of the Spring Festival transportation of motorcycles is still continuing. Many young people choose to ride back to their hometowns, unlike their parents, they pay more attention to the feeling of riding on the road, enjoy the feeling of freedom, and some people also experience the difficulties of their parents in cycling.
The "motorcycle army" carrying large bags and small bags was once the unique impression of the Chinese people about the Spring Festival. "It's not about saving money, no one wants to drive a motorcycle and travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in the wind and rain. In an interview with reporters, some members of the "motorcycle army" said that in the past, the main reason for riding motorcycles home was to save fares. Nowadays, people's lives are getting better and better, and they have more choices to go home. There are fewer "motorcycle troops", and many people replace motorcycles with cars; There are more "private car troops", and the 7.2 billion self-driving trips this year are twice that of the same period last year. In recent years, the country's high-speed rail has developed rapidly, and high-speed rail stations have been built in various places, making it more convenient for travelers to go home.
The changes in the way travel during the Spring Festival travel reflect the great changes in China's economy and society, and also witness the significant improvement of people's living standards. Spring Festival is just like a time train, "transporting" the richest emotional memories of Chinese.