Car trunks overflow with love and local treats as Chinese return from holiday

As the Spring Festival holiday ended, car trunks across China bulged with not just luggage, but also love and local specialties gifted by parents to their returning children. Online, netizens shared photos and videos of their overflowing trunks, sparking lighthearted comparisons and discussions about the bittersweetness of departures.

Beyond the usual haul of groceries like vegetables, meat, eggs, and flour, some have taken this tradition to the next level.

In a recent video that gained traction on a video-sharing platform, a car was spotted with two woven bags hanging from the rear trunk, each containing two live ducks. The video sparked widespread interest, accumulating over 100,000 likes, and netizens even claimed to have seen the same car on the highway, jokingly stating that "it seemed like two ducks had fallen off halfway."

The driver of the car surnamed He explained that on Feb 14, as they were returning from their hometown in Hunan province to Zhejiang province for work, their trunk was filled with various local specialties from their parents, including cured meat, steamed pork, pickled long beans, and eggplants. Concerned about the ducks potentially getting suffocated, they decided to hang four live ducks in bags at the back of the car. Addressing speculations that two ducks were left behind, He clarified, "Upon reaching Jiangxi, we gave two to relatives, and the remaining two are still being raised at home."

Another netizen surnamed Wang shared her experience of returning from Guangdong to Zhejiang with a trunk filled with various local specialties, including dried sweet potatoes, peanut oil, pickled vegetables, bamboo shoots, and fruits, totaling around 100 kilograms. Her family even requested her to transport three live chickens, adding a unique touch to the journey.

"During the 10-plus-hour journey, the rooster would occasionally crow, keeping us alert and away from weariness," Wang shared.

Beyond the lighthearted surprises, the departures were tinged with emotion. A netizen surnamed Ma from Henan, shared a video of his trunk filled with flour, steamed buns, and noodles. He explained that they were heading to work in the south, and their parents, concerned about their adjustment to local cuisine, packed their car with plenty of hometown foods.

Ma and his wife, originally from Henan, work in Jiangsu, with their son and daughter studying in Zhejiang. As they returned to Jiangsu after spending the Lunar New Year in their hometown, the video captured their emotional parting.

The children, deeply attached to their grandparents, couldn't hold back tears, creating a heartfelt scene that Ma described as a recurring emotion every time they return from their hometown.