China heads home for the holidays

The domestic helper

When traveling home for Spring Festival in the past five years, Zhao Xinya has endured extremely crowded rail carriages full of stifling air and horrible smells from the overused toilets.

This year, though, the 48-year-old domestic helper has decided to stay in Beijing for the holiday.

"I'm glad I made the decision even though my husband - who lives in Tianshui, my hometown in the west of Gansu province - is not happy about it." she said.

Having spent most of her life in Tianshui, a small town 1,400 kilometers from Beijing, Zhao came to the capital in 2013 to experience a totally new life in the giant city.

"I think the capital is the best - the people, the environment and everything else," she said. "I didn't expect to stay here such a long time."

Even though Beijing has broadened her horizons and brought new meaning to her life after spending more than 10 years selling fruit in her hometown, she still faced the difficult journey back to Gansu every Spring Festival.

"First, it's extremely hard to buy a ticket. My husband and my son used to get up before 6 am and sit in front of the computer holding their cellphones to buy a ticket for me as soon as the online booking facility opened. However, all the tickets to my hometown were usually sold in a few minutes. If I was lucky, I got a seat, but most of the time, I just got a standing-room-only ticket," she said.

"I had to stand for 18 to 20 hours on the train. The aisles were full of people, and the long lines to use the toilets were so frustrating - not to mention the smell!

The train from Beijing to Tianshui runs at night, which meant Zhao spent the hours of darkness awake and standing up.

"Sometimes, I paid an extra 20 yuan ($3.16) to sit in the dining carriage between dinner and breakfast, which was good because I could lean on the table and rest for a few hours," she said.

"However, after all my experiences over the years, I think I have had enough."

Instead of visiting her hometown for Spring Festival, she realized that she didn't have to endure so much for one particular event. Instead, she took a vacation from Dec 15 until Jan 19 and visited her family then.

"I had some time with my husband and son. Now, I will spend our great festival with my client, who needs me here in Beijing," she said.

Her client is a 90-year-old widower whose wife died five years ago. Since then, he has spent Spring Festival alone. This year, though, Zhao will take him to miaohui, traditional fairs held in parks during the holiday.

"I will cook delicious meals for him to celebrate Spring Festival," she said. "I believe I made a smart choice to avoid the crowds and take better care of him. I'm very much looking forward to my first Lunar New Year in the capital."

By Du Juan