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The short trip saw a North Korean train enter China on Monday but was otherwise cloaked in secrecy.

I saw this sentence in a Yahoo news. The part I am confused is The short trip saw. How come a trip could possibly see something? In my opinion, only a person or animal can really see something. Can someone help me to understand? Thanks!

The full context

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It is meant in this sense:

see v.tr.
5. b. To be characterized by; be the time for: "The 1930s saw the development of sulfa drugs and penicillin" (Gregg Easterbrook).
c. To be subjected to; undergo: This word sees a lot of use in sports.

From The Free Dictionary Online

Here is the sense of your sentence:

The short trip featured a North Korean train entering China but was otherwise cloaked in secrecy.

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  • I can't find this usage in my dictionary. Is it common? I haven't seen the usage before. – dan Mar 28 '18 at 2:10
  • @dan: I added a link to it. And yes, it is commonplace. – Robusto Mar 28 '18 at 2:12
  • what does it mean in this context then? Could you explain it in more detail for this particular context? Thanks! – dan Mar 28 '18 at 2:56
  • OK, I've spelled it out for you now. – Robusto Mar 28 '18 at 3:06
  • According to this dictionary collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/see, the usage is defined in British. Is it regional? – dan Mar 28 '18 at 7:49

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