More than 70% of netizens want New Year's Eve off

This year's lunar New Year falls on Feb 19, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

A research center at Renmin University of China conducted a public survey on holiday schedules.

The question regarding whether New Year's Eve (by the lunar calendar) should be included in the three-day New Year's statutory holiday sparked heated discussion among the Internet users. More than 70 percent of them said they wanted to get a day off on New Year's Eve.

More than a million Internet users participated by answering the question, "Do you think the New Year's holiday should be from New Year's Eve (i.e. Dec 30 in the lunar calendar) to Jan 2, or from New Year's day to Jan 3?".

A vast majority, more than 70 percent, said yes to including New Year's eve as part of the three-day holiday.

According to Cai Jiming, who leads the holiday reform team at Tsinghua University, three proposals for the New Year's holiday schedule in 2014 were proposed in Nov 2013.

When the third amendment to the Decision of the State Council on Amending the National Holidays and Festive Holidays was released in Dec of 2013, the three-day New Year's holiday was changed from "New Year's eve to Jan 2 by the lunar calendar" to "New Year's day to Jan 3 by the lunar calendar".

The public expressed dissatisfaction with the cancellation of New Year's Eve as a statutory holiday.

One year later, relevant departments decided to conduct a public survey to hear what people really had to say.