Sheng Chun had not visited his parents in their mountain village in southern China for more than three years because China’s “zero Covid” restrictions made travel difficult. Then the country abandoned its stringent pandemic rules, and he decided to take a long-anticipated road trip.
With his son and wife, Mr. Sheng, 43, embarked on a two-week journey from Beijing that would cover more than 1,000 miles, through cultural spots like a Ming dynasty village and temples, then finally home for the Lunar New Year. He hoped to later drive his parents back to Beijing.
“I want them to go out and have more fun,” he said. “They’re in their 70s now, and for a while I was too busy working. I feel guilty that I didn’t really spend time with them.”
When the coronavirus spread widely out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan in early 2020, local and provincial governments moved quickly to lock down tens of millions of people. The past few Lunar New Years have been muted affairs, with many deterred from traveling by fear of the virus or by lockdowns, quarantines or other onerous rules.
China Cautiously Takes to the Road for Lunar New Year
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