Yes. That is the Chinese New Year (CNY) period when Chinese try to be with their family to celebrate Spring Festival/CNY. With the hundreds of million of Chinese working outside of their home town, it is an annual suffering for them to secure a ticket to go home (and return), to face crowds and long queuing to buy tickets, board the trains (or buses) and survive the trip. The system is not yet able to cope with the demand and I sympathize with the migrants who go through the yearly ordeal. With the unfriendly holiday system in China, even worse.
To have an idea:
The 2014 Spring Festival travel period starts on 16 January and lasts for 40 days. CNY is on 31 January.
Presently the rail system counts 100,000 Km (with 10% being high speed), to be 120,000 Km by 2015.
Trips expected in that period:

• Total 3.6 billion trips
• Road trips: 3.2 billion
• Rail trips: 258 million
• Ship trips: 43 million
• Plane trips: 422 million.

As for me, well I stay put in Beijing, it is quiet and in any other location (including Thailand, …) you find Chinese all over. That is, if you get there.
Bon voyage!