It is that time of year when hundreds of millions of Chinese head home to usher in the lunar new year. 

One man took one radical step in making sure he won't lose his child during the travel rush: he handcuffed himself to his daughter.

The man, named Mr. Wang, was riding at Beijing's South Railway Station with his daughter as they headed home for the Chinese New Year "Spring Festival" celebrations.

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A passenger who spotted them described the pair as having quite a good time together.  

"They were talking and laughing so I figured the man was not a trafficker," the passenger said.  He also posted photos of the two together, which showed the six-year-old girl slouching in a railway station chair and handcuffed to her father by the left wrist.

The child was wearing a pair of Hello Kitty tracksuit bottoms, a GPS watch, and a necklace with her name and father's mobile number written on it.

"It was really strange!" the passenger wrote on his Chinese social media account. "But I was touched by [the father's] words. 'Only by being handcuffed to my daughter, can I stop worrying.'"

The China News Service agency said the father decided to travel with his daughter in handcuffs citing security concerns. He said his daughter, who had a lazy eye, might get lost in the crowds, worse, abducted by child traffickers.

China's new year travel rush began early this week as millions head home to be with the rest of their families.  Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 19, when China and the rest of the world would ring in the Year of the Sheep, which actually began on Feb. 4 according to the solar calendar.

More than 10 million people are expected to pass through Shanghai's two airports, and up to 2.8 billion trips will be made across the country.

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