Wu Yuqi (third from right) of the Phoenix International Airport Station of Immigration Inspection hands the passport back to a foreign visitor at an inspection counter on February 5, 2026. Photo: Huang Lanlan/GT

Editor's Note:

"We joined hands to build a better life and enjoyed it together," Chinese President Xi Jinping noted. "When the happy hum of daily life fills every home, the big family of our nation will go from strength to strength." At the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), when families come together, it is those who stay at their posts who make that quiet warmth all the more tender.

As the 2026 Spring Festival approaches, the Global Times has launched a series of feature stories themed "New Year on the Frontlines: Perseverance and Warmth Across Mountains and Seas." From a 5,000-meter icebound outpost to a tropical port on the shores on the South China Sea; from high-speed trains that carry the scent of home to the craftsmanship shared along Belt and Road - countless ordinary yet remarkable individuals, standing firm at their posts during this most cherished Chinese festival, together paint the truest portrait of an open, hospitable big family of the Chinese nation.

In the first installment, the Global Times travels to Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, sharing the front-line stories of local border inspection officers, who remain at their posts through the Spring Festival holiday to serve an ever-growing stream of international visitors while keeping the doors of hospitality wide open.




'Very fast, efficient!'

It is 3 am in Sanya, a coastal resort city in South China's southern island province of Hainan. A gentle sea breeze fills the air, and the Sanya Phoenix International Airport glows brightly against the soft night sky.

As a late inbound flight touches down, passengers disembark and step onto this tropical shore. At one of the inspection counters, Wu Yuqi of the Phoenix International Airport Station of Immigration Inspection (Phoenix Station) carefully examines a Russian visitor's passport. In under a minute, he returns the passport with a smile a fluent Russian "Добро пожаловать! (Welcome!)" As one of China's southernmost air gateways, the Phoenix Station serves as a core portal for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Since the launch of the island-wide special customs operations on December 18, 2025, Hainan has taken on an ever more open, outward-facing role and become a key node connecting China to the world.

With the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) travel rush underway (February 2 to March 13), Hainan's visa-free access for passport holders from 86 countries is seeing a significant boost. Data from the Phoenix Station shows that over 51,000 inbound passengers in the past fortnight alone - a 53-percent year-on-year increase - highlighting the policy's impact during this peak season.

Behind the surge in passenger traffic lies the unwavering commitment and strong pursuit of efficiency by the border inspectors at Phoenix Station. "Seeing travelers pass through smoothly, rushing to their reunions, and safeguarding this order and safety - that's the best Chinese New Year gift we can give," Wu told the Global Times days ahead of the Spring Festival.

Foreign visitors interact with a lion dance performer in Sanya, Hainan, on January 17, 2026. Photo: VCG

Joint efforts

Where most travelers see only bustling terminals and inspection counters, a quiet and unseen team of guards and service workers proceeds with their duities. At the Phoenix Station, officer Wang Lin and her teammates sat before banks of monitors, vetting an unending stream of entry-and-exit data for anything that might threaten safety. 

"With the launch of the visa-free policy, our work has to be more preemptive and precise," Wang told the Global Times. "We must ensure convenience while safeguarding security."

Wang, 33, is part of the invisible first line of defense for port security. Originally from North China's Hebei Province, she has served at the Phoenix Station since 2015. This year will mark her 11th Spring Festival on duty. The nature of her behind‑the‑scenes role has kept her from returning to her hometown for the holiday season for years.

In December 2025, she left the tropical island for a rare trip north to care for her ailing parents, while there, chanced upon the season's first snowfall in Hebei. "I stood there and took pictures, and for a moment it felt strange… like I wasn't used to that kind of winter anymore."

Many officers like Wang forgo family reunions year after year for duty. Among them is Wu Tingyun, a deputy head of duty team four Phoenix Station. He is not only Wang's colleague, but also her partner in life. Having served at the station for 15 years, he has spent nearly every Spring Festival on the front line.

"We're on a rotation, therefore during the Chinese New Year holidays, we're either on duty on the New Year's Eve, or we work on the first or second day of the New Year," Wu Tingyun told the Global Times. Coming from a nearby city in Hainan, Wu often volunteers for extra shifts, so that his other colleagues from further regions can reunite with their families during the Spring Festival. Wang, too, frequently chooses to stay.

"Border inspection work requires both a broad vision and meticulous attention to detail," Wu Tingyun said. This meticulousness often particularly manifests itself during unseen late-night and early-morning hours at the Phoenix Station, when the couple, as well as their many coworkers, either ensure smooth clearance on the front lines, or guard the "invisible gate" via screens, safeguarding the safety and efficiency of this border port with joint efforts.

Tourists enjoy themselves on the sea in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on February 11, 2026. Photo: VCG

Well-prepared travel rush

The smooth running of this border port in Sanya owes as much to the steadfast commitment of veteran officers, as it does to the growth and grit of their younger colleagues, who are rapidly maturing into a fresh force guarding the national gateway.

After three months of intensive training, Wu Yuqi stepped onto the inspection counters at the Phoenix Station for the first time in November 2025, formally beginning his career in border inspection.

For the 23-year-old officer, countless hours of practice are now evident in the fluent, confident checks he performs at the counter - a direct result of mastering everything from the subtle document security features and precise facial matching techniques to the flexible handling of unexpected incidents. Faced with a steady rise in passengers during the current Spring Festival travel rush, Wu Yuqi remains calm and collected, moving through the inspection routine with such ease. His efforts are beyond working time: Before each shift, his duty team four holds a briefing to flag priority targets and important reminders; after duties, his downtime is filled with professional study, drilling question banks and competing in skills contests.

Wu Yuqi is on this year's Spring Festival duty roster. For the first time, this new graduate will spend this festival at the post, and he admitted that he feels a twinge of regret about missing the family reunion dinner. "But when I see travelers lugging their suitcases, hurrying home to be with loved ones, and the happiness on their faces, I feel that standing here is worthwhile," he smiled.

Peng, who will lead his crew on duty this New Year's Eve, said that in the upcoming peak days during the Spring Festival travel rush, multiple international flights will arrive in clusters and significantly increase the station's workload. Responding to this, the station had, in advance, optimized clearance procedures and deployed ample officers, to ensure smooth transit for every passenger, he said. 

As the first Chinese New Year travel rush season since the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), the Phoenix Station is fully engaged in managing the peak passenger flow, striving to ensure the border port's safe and smooth operation through refined management and technological means, Peng told the Global Times.
In the pre-dawn hours at Phoenix Airport, the Global Times reporter watched as another international flight prepared to land. The lamps above the inspection counters illuminated the young face of Wu Yuqi, cast light on Wang and Peng, and fell upon the many busy border inspection officers at work. Outside their windows, Sanya was gradually waking up, waiting to greet international travelers with the sun, sand and New Year cheer.

As Spring Festival (#ChineseNewYear) approaches, more international visitors are traveling to China's coastal city of #Sanya thanks to visa-free policies. Data shows that over 51,000 international passengers passed through the city in past two weeks alone, up 53% y-on-y. Behind the surge lies the strong commitment and relentless pursuit of efficiency by the local border inspectors.