Just over a year after China first alerted the world to a new virus that was to wreak havoc globally, sparsely-populated transport hubs remain a symbol of the fragility of the country’s economic recovery.

China’s airports, train stations, hotels and tourist attractions are relatively subdued this week, despite the official start of the 40-day Lunar New Year travel period, when hundreds of millions of people usually criss-cross the country to visit relatives and take holidays.