Man Drives 900 Km Through Traffic to Propose

A 26-year-old businessman from central China's Jiangxi province drove more than 900 kilometers through severe holiday traffic to propose marriage to his girlfriend in Guizhou, enlisting fellow motorists' help with a heartfelt banner that turned his journey into a viral sensation.

Tan, who runs a business in southeastern Fujian province, embarked on the solo 12-and-a-half-hour drive in early February during China's Spring Festival travel rush, known as chunyun. The period, which runs from late January to mid-March, sees an estimated 9.5 billion passenger trips as millions return to hometowns for Lunar New Year celebrations, overwhelming highways with up to 71 million vehicles daily.

Before setting out, Tan placed a bright red banner in his car's rear window reading, "Brothers, let me go first. I am heading to Guizhou to propose to the love of my life." The message served a dual purpose, he later explained to Jiangxi TV: to politely request passage amid the congestion and to share his excitement with other drivers.

Videos of Tan's car quickly spread on platforms like Douyin, China's version of TikTok, amassing over two million views. Motorists captured the banner during...