Shenzhen traffic police reported that traffic for access routes to Daxiao Meisha and Dapeng were congested with “rush hour conditions” for ten hours from June 1 until yesterday morning. 256,000 cars were said to have been involved in a traffic jam 14 kilometers long.

720,000 commuters took the Guangzhou Metro on June 2, a 15% rise from last year. May 31 was also a traffic heavy day with 650,000 commuters.

But getting there is only half the fun; just ask the record-breaking 16,000 visitors that descended upon Dameisha Seaside Public Park. The only reason so many people would choose to crowd together so densely must be because they obviously enjoy each other’s company, like so:

All of this price came at a cost, however. A closer look at the swarms of holiday-goers revealed a grubbier side:

However, crowds don’t always have negative connotations, especially when everyone’s favorite endangered species-a la commodity of cuteness made a mass appearance at the Canton Tower in Guangzhou:

Oh, endangered panda: you’ll never over-populate us with the cuddleness you provide!

Photo: Shenzhen Evening Report via Weibo (2), China Daily via Weibo, Shenzhen Traffic Police via Weibo, China Guangzhou Information Dissemintation via Weibo, Guangzhou Daily via Weibo

During rush hours, scenes on the subway are similar to the one in this picture, taken from Baidu Images.

The shuttle trains will run between Tangkeng and Huaxin, where 62.8% of passenger flow is concentrated along the line.

From 7:15-9:15 a.m. and from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. trains will come every 3.5 minutes instead of the current 5 minutes on the line that runs between Yitian and Shuanglong.

Netizens have reacted positively to the news. Since the subway system was rapidly expanded ahead of the 2011 Summer Universiade, residents have complained on threads such as this that the crowding is considerable. This author can tell you from experience that they’re not exaggerating.

The line connects with the Luobao Line at Laojie and Shopping Park, with the Shekou Line at Futian, with the Longhua Line at Children’s Palace, and with the Huanzhong Line at Buji.