India, March 4 -- A red banner in the back window of a car turned a long and tiring journey into a viral love story during China's busiest travel season.

A 26-year-old man drove 932km through heavy holiday traffic to propose to his girlfriend, asking fellow travellers to let him pass so he could reach her in time.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Tan, who is from Jiangxi province in central China, runs a business in Fujian province.

In February, during the Spring Festival travel rush, he set off alone for Guizhou in southwestern China, where his girlfriend had returned to her hometown for Chinese New Year.

Before beginning the 12-and-a-half-hour drive, Tan placed a simple red banner in the back window of his car....