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Majority approve of Golden Week holidays

By Liu Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-04-27 08:56

A majority of Chinese prefer to keep the Golden Week holidays and would like to see more traditional Chinese festivals added to the holiday calendar, according to a China Daily web poll.

The survey asked respondents if they agreed with recent calls to amend the length and timing of the Golden Week holidays, including next week's Labor Day holiday.

Among the 915 respondents, 52.46 per cent disagreed with changes, 35.52 per cent approved, while the remainder gave no answer.

The bulk of respondents who offered comment said more holidays should be added.

China initiated the three "Golden Weeks" the Lunar New Year Holiday, the Labor Day Holiday and the National Day Holiday in 1999, aiming to stimulate consumption and promote tourism, hospitality and related industries.

In the past eight years, however, some problems have emerged from the holidays, including traffic congestion and exhausted public facilities.

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Deputies from the National People's Congress, as well as members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, proposed changes to the holidays at this year's congress. They called for shortened Labor Day and National Day holidays, and the addition of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Tomb Sweeping Day.

One respondent, who did not agree with the changes, pointed out that many people need the holidays because they face "great pressure" at work and lack enough time to rest.

"In addition to the three Golden Weeks, we should have more holidays," the respondent said.

There were also calls to add the eve of the Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. But a minority of respondents want to shorten the Labor Day and National Day holidays.

"Scattered shorter holidays would ease the demands placed on the logistic and support sectors and result in less disruption to work and industry," said one respondent, adding that changes would free people to travel at a time of their choosing rather than during a "compulsory" time frame.

Another respondent pointed out that, technically, the length of the Golden Week holiday is only three days, while two weekends are added to make it a seven-day holiday. "Eight to nine day longworking week before or after the Golden Week is rather laborous," the respondent said, hoping the government would adjust the schedule and let people enjoy a true week-long vacation.

(China Daily 04/27/2007 page15)