【Epoch Times, November 5, 2025】In Guangzhou and Kunshan, two major manufacturing hubs in China, a phenomenon of migrant workers returning home early has emerged. Multiple videos show factories shutting down and projects being delayed, with the exodus to rural areas starting about a month earlier than usual. From the bus stations in Shangyong to the green train carriages, batches of migrant workers are seen leaving the cities with their luggage, described by netizens as the end of the working wave and the beginning of the returning home wave.
With over three months left until the Chinese New Year, migrant workers who had gone out to work have begun their journey back home. At the Shangyong bus station in Guangzhou, a video shared by netizens shows a woman saying, “This is the Shangyong bus station in Guangzhou, these people are all waiting for long-distance buses to go home. Due to the lack of job opportunities in Guangzhou, more and more people are returning to their hometowns; look, there’s another group of people ready to leave.” Another netizen on Douyin said, “The working wave is over, the returning home wave has begun. Look, there are several buses here, all packed up heading home. Those who haven’t come to Guangzhou yet should just stay at home.”
A man in Panyu working in the construction industry commented that projects were halted early this year, wages were withheld, so he had to pack up and return home in advance. He said, “I can’t continue, this year has been a huge loss.”
Mr. Wang, a resident living near the Guangdong Provincial Bus Station on Huanshi West Road, told the reporter that many out-of-town workers were seen carrying their luggage to board long-distance buses leaving Guangzhou. He mentioned that these people mostly come from Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi, with buses departing to these provinces throughout the day from morning to evening. Mr. Wang noted that there were already many people at this time of year in the past, but this year they are leaving even earlier, indicating that many factories have already gone on early vacation.
Staff at the Tianhe Bus Station in Guangzhou told reporters that buses heading towards Zhuzhou and Changde in Hunan, Jiujiang in Jiangxi, and Shangrao had increased this year. They mentioned, “In response to passenger demand, starting from November 1st, we will adjust the schedule based on the situation. Indeed, migrant workers returning home from Guangzhou this year are earlier than last year when it only started to pick up in December.”
Similar situations have also been observed in Kunshan, Jiangsu. A netizen filming a video said, “We are starting to track people going home for the New Year again, the dormitories are already empty. Those who left in December last year are leaving in November this year.” A video released by a Douyin user named “Agang” on November 4th showed overcrowded green train carriages in Kunshan, saying, “There are too many people on the train, these are the first group of people going home for the New Year in Kunshan. What bad luck.” A comment in the comment section read, “It’s still early, there are still 103 days until the New Year.”
The reporter found that in 2023 and 2024, the Lunar New Year travel rush started mostly in mid-December, but this year it has begun about a month earlier. Mr. Wang, a retiree in Jiangsu, stated that rental areas near his home have seen people vacating their rentals one after another, with roadside restaurants entering the off-season. He remarked, “In the past, they all left in December, but this year half of them were gone in early November.”
Some netizens pointed out that in previous years, the influx of returning home happened a month before the Spring Festival, however, this year it began in early November, indicating a decrease in orders for the manufacturing and construction industries. The Spring Festival generally starts in mid-January, and the number of people returning home earlier this year has notably increased.
According to the Guangdong Provincial Statistics Bureau, fixed asset investment in the manufacturing industry decreased by 3.2% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2025. Economists pointed out that the proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises shutting down in the Pearl River Delta region has increased, leading to reduced short-term labor demand for migrant workers, resulting in many businesses halting production early.
A scholar from the Department of Sociology at Nanjing University mentioned that this year’s “early return home wave” reflects the structural downturn in the lower-end manufacturing and construction industries. This is not just a seasonal contraction but a dual reaction to wage decreases and shortened work periods. If orders do not pick up in the first quarter of next year, the rate of migrant workers returning to cities may hit a new low in nearly a decade.
On Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and WeChat, many comments read, “The tickets haven’t gone up yet, but half of the people have already left.” “Going home doesn’t make money, at least you won’t lose money.” Analysts believe that the early return home trend is not only an economic phenomenon but also reflects a double blow to both companies and the working class in the struggling Chinese manufacturing industry, indicating a lack of strength in the consumer market.