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On Feb. 22, Tan, 26, left his house in Jiangxi Province as severe congestion paralyzed traffic during the Tet holiday, the South China Morning Post said.

Videos posted on social media showed a banner taped to his windshield that read: “Brothers, let me go first. I am heading to Guizhou to propose to the love of my life.”

After seeing the message, many motorists moved their vehicles aside to let him pass. Tan said that during one prolonged traffic jam, a woman stepped out of her car to shake his hand and wish him a safe trip.

With assistance from strangers on the road, Tan completed the 12.5-hour journey. He surprised his girlfriend at her home, where she became emotional and accepted his proposal. On Feb. 26, the couple drove back to Jiangxi to prepare for their wedding ceremony.

Tan runs a business in Fujian Province. He and his girlfriend met in college and have been together for four years. When she returned to Guizhou for the Lunar New Year, he decided to drive more than 900 km to propose.

Tan’s story received more than two million views on social media.

“Congratulations, Tan. You better not disappoint her, or you will owe the drivers who made way for you,” one comment read.

“This thousand-mile journey shows the purest form of love,” another said.

The proposal took place during chunyun, China’s annual Spring Festival travel rush, which recorded about 9.5 billion passenger trips.

With 80% of travelers choosing to drive, daily traffic on expressways at times reached 71 million vehicles, leading to widespread congestion.