In winter, a dense fog often settles over a stretch of the Yangtze River near Bailizhou, an island town administered by Zhijiang in Hubei province.
For travelers returning home for the Chinese New Year, the journey does not truly begin until the sun burns through the mist, a ferry emerges from the gray expanse, and the far bank and home come into view.
Captain Yan Zhirong stands in the wheelhouse of the ferry E Zhijiang Ferry 0055, watching villagers hurry aboard with rolling suitcases and bundles of New Year goods.
"There are more people coming back this year," he says.
