The size of an individual worker’s suitcase during the Spring Festival travel rush can also be highly indicative of his purchasing power: less money is spent on bigger bags. (Photo : Getty Images)
Younger migrant workers pack smaller suitcases on their return trip home for the Spring Festival, according to a report by China Daily. The trend nowadays is to give out expensive digital gadgets as New Year presents, instead of the usual gifts like snacks and winter clothes.
Such is the case with 19-year-old Shi Jiawen, who is employed as a decorator in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. He splurged 3,200 yuan ($500) on a smartphone. He also bought a tablet computer to give to his sister back in Sichuan Province. In contrast to Shi, his father only spent 500 yuan for local tea as a present.
He is one of the 12 out of 20 young migrant workers in Fuzhou railway station who have purchased digital gadgets to give for the holiday.
"Electronic products aren't so expensive," said Shi in an interview with China Daily. Such devices are also practical and convenient, as more areas in the countryside are now being serviced by Internet connectivity.
The size of an individual worker's suitcase during the Spring Festival travel rush can also be highly indicative of his purchasing power: less money is spent on bigger bags.
Middle-aged workers, who are more likely to prescribe to tradition, were commonly seen around lugging huge luggage at the station.
For example, 47-year-old Li Rongcai, a construction worker from Jiangxi Province, had his hands full with bags of tea and cigarettes that cost him 1,000 yuan.
It's almost the same situation with 40-year-old nanny Li Lan, from Hunan Province, who had two large suitcases packed with winter clothes that cost her 2,000 yuan.
While other workers shopped for presents in the city, others opted to pack light on their trip home and make their shopping in their rural hometown.
"Fancy goods that you get in big cities are also available back home at reasonable prices, so why exhaust yourself dragging them all the way home," reasoned Xiao Pengyuan, a 22-year-old factory worker from Sichuan Province.
According to China Daily, China's total retail sales of consumer goods rose 10.7 percent year-on-year last 2015 despite the slow economy.
