Fresh from the "longest-ever Golden Week" - the regular National Day holiday plus Mid-Autumn Festival - the nation has a lot to think about.

In spite of all the vows and preparations for the past eight hectic days, there were few signs of improvements in the holiday experience, and holidaymakers throughout the country were greeted by the same old "people mountain, people sea" that has characterized all past golden weeks. Many of those hitting the road in their own vehicles found themselves stranded in traffic jams on the national transport arteries, and Beijing Railway Station witnessed a single-day passenger peak that was 20 percent more than that during the Chinese New Year holiday.

In fact, as so often the case after previous golden weeks, many regret having chosen to travel, because the eagerly anticipated joy and relaxation proved to be nothing but a pipe dream when hundreds of millions of holidaymakers were on the move at the same time.