The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic originated, has celebrated the lifting of its 76-day lockdown with an incredible light show.

At midnight on Wednesday, authorities lifted travel restrictions and permitted residents to leave the city for the first time since January 23.

A spectacular light show was put on over the Yangtze River and across the city to celebrate the removal of barricades, the restarting of train travel, and the chance for family and friends to reunite after an extensive time apart.

11 million residents have not been permitted to travel out of the city in the province of Hubei since the lockdown was introduced in order to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Residents who can prove their health status on a mobile phone app can now move freely in and out of the city.

The app is used to confirm good health and prove that the person has not been in close contact with an infected person.

Yan Xiangsheng, a police chief in a Wuhan district, reported a staggering 1,000 vehicles went through a highway toll on the outskirts of the city in a period between midnight and 7am.

It is now expected a total of 50,000 people will leave the city via road, plane or train as they head to work outside the city or travel to homes in the surrounding areas.

On Tuesday, China Eastern airline said it would start operating 30 flights from Wuhan to other cities around China, including Shanghai and Shenzhen and more than 1,600 trips had already been booked. 

According to railway operators, more than 55,000 passengers also booked tickets to leave the city.

The light show celebrated the end of a stringent lockdown with residents describing it as a 'liberation'.

Tong Zhengkun, who had been shut in his block of flats after one resident tested positive for covid-19, said he watched the light show from a bridge and celebrated his freedom.

He said: "I haven’t been outside for more than 70 days. Being indoors for so long drove me crazy."

Meals had been delivered to his door by workers in the neighbourhood but now many convenience stores and supermarkets have opened and he is able to shop for himself and visit reopened food outlets.

Schools, colleges and nurseries are still closed as the authorities are still observing a level of risk.

In a statement on Tuesday they said the reopening date would be 'decided after evaluation of prevention efforts'.

Residents are also still instructed to wear face masks, not to hold large public gatherings and to only travel when necessary.

“Zero new cases doesn’t mean zero risk," they said.

"Opening up the city gates does not mean opening up the door to one’s home,” the official People’s Daily newspaper cautioned.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, over 2,500 people in the city are reported to have died from the disease.