Spring surprises

Xu Yonggan had packed more than 40 bottles of baijiu, or white spirit, to give his family back in Anhui province's Huaibei. Too many? Xu did not think so."My family is full of heavy drinkers, and I'm sure they can easily finish these bottles during Spring Festival," he said at Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, as he waited for a train with his wife (left) and two friends. "I'm worried it might not be enough." Carrying dozens of bottles of liquor is also Xu's reason for picking the train as his mode of transport home. "They wouldn't have let me check-in if I flew home," he added.