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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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 Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:35 am Post subject: This Year's May Day holiday? |
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| Anyone have any info? I was told by a couple of teacher friends here in Suzhou that their school is giving them a full week off due to the govt. saying that last year's change to mini-holidays didn't work out so well as the tourism money fell flat. So they're changing it back to a "golden week" (but we're still getting the upcoming Tomb Sweeping holiday off as well). I asked my school about this and all they would say is Guangdong province is doing this but no word yet (yeah, right) about Jiangsu. Anyone got the 411 on this? |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:01 am Post subject: |
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| There is no return of an extra golden week holiday. Provinces, municipalities, cities, schools, etc. of course can manipulate the holidays all they wish. Your local situation is what it is, variable. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| There is no return of an extra golden week holiday. |
And you know this how? Care to name your source(s)? |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:42 am Post subject: |
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| Because the Central Party - e.g., the NPC has not made any changes to the laws enacting the new national holidays from last year. You can keep up with the China government, in English, via their website. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:00 pm Post subject: |
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Here you go. I've done my own legwork for those interested in this topic:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/24/content_10884617.htm
Intro paragraphs:
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GUANGZHOU, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The May Day Golden Week is expected to make a comeback in only one province in China this year, as the provincial government of Guangdong was given the greenlight Monday to revive the long holiday on a trial basis to stimulate the slowed economy.
China cut the May Day holiday from seven days to three days in 2007 to ease the burden of overcrowded travels.
Yang Rongsen, head of the provincial tourism bureau, said Monday that Guangdong residents and those with temporary resident permits in Guangdong are encouraged to take long leaves around legal holidays such as May Day and National Day in October. The pilot program agreed on by China's cabinet took effect on Monday.
As the export-oriented manufacturing center of Guangdong has been hard-hit by the financial pinch, the provincial government hoped the holiday spending could help revive the consumer market confidence. |
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/12/content_11000922.htm
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Hangzhou promotes longer May Day holiday in Yangtze River Delta
BEIJING, March. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Hangzhou Tourism Commission is promoting a combination of the three-day May Day holiday and four-day paid leave among tourist destinations in Yangtze River Delta, according to officials of the commission.
"We plan to resume the seven-day May Day Golden Week holiday by adding a paid holiday of four days before or after the public holiday, or by adding two days before and two days after the holiday," said Hua Yunong, an official from the publicity office of the commission.
For the past few days, officials of the commission have traveled to major tourist destinations such as Wuhu, Hefei, Nanjing and Wuxi to advocate joint-tourism promotion.
"Our priority for those trips is to establish cooperation with major tourist destinations and developed cities in the Yangtze River Delta to restore the Golden Week and boost tourism consumption," said Hua.
With tourist markets in various areas experiencing a downturn under the impact of the financial crisis, the resumption of the Golden Week would be greatly beneficial to tourist city like Hangzhou, Hua said. |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Stick to May holiday plan, says govt
By Xie Yu (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-27 08:14
The State Council yesterday urged local governments to stick to the three-day May Day holiday plan, destroying hopes of a return to the golden week to spur the economy.
The central government said in a notice yesterday that the public holiday arrangement should be "strictly" observed.
It comes just a day after several authorities announced plans to return to a week-long break, scrapped last year, to give a shot in the arm to the tourism industry and domestic consumption.
Officials in Guangdong province, the export hub hit hard by the financial crisis, said on Wednesday it would add two days of annual paid leave and a weekend to extend May Day holiday.
Others followed suit, including Liaoning province, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Hangzhou city in Zhejiang province, while some planned to offer special discount coupons to urge people to spend more during the holiday.
Local officials seemed to be in the dark yesterday.
Zou Lulu, an official for the Guangdong tourism bureau, told China Daily she wasn't given any information on the May Day holiday, adding: "Nothing can be confirmed."
Yang Le, a tourism official for Jiangsu provincial capital Nanjing - a city that also planned to extend the holiday - said they had no knowledge of the State Council statement and "cannot give any information about the holiday arrangement".
During the National People's Congress meeting this month, Liu Xiaojun, spokesman of the National Tourism Administration, said local governments would be able to restore the week-long holiday on a trial basis. However, he was not available for comment yesterday.
Yao Yanbo, a tourism expert from Nankai University, said the central government move is "within expectation".
It is clear the central government "doesn't want to change the holiday policy too frequently" since the May Day golden week was cancelled just last year, she said.
"It has to make sure the existing regulation is abided by local governments," she said.
A manager surnamed Huang at Guangzhou's Sunny Holiday Travel Agency said a seven-day holiday would not necessarily help his business.
"The core of the issue lies in economy and income," he said. "If people are well paid within a good economy they will travel. But in bad times, like now, people stay at home, watching TV - even with a seven-day break."
A People.com.cn survey this month showed 92.2 percent of the 5 million people polled backed a return to the golden week.
China created the May Day and National Day golden week holidays in 1999 to help the economy recover from the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis. But the May Day week was scrapped last year after the public complained of overcrowded traffic.
Three one-day holidays marking traditional Chinese festivals - Tomb Sweeping Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-autumn Festival - were established instead. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:38 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Yang Le, a tourism official for Jiangsu provincial capital Nanjing - a city that also planned to extend the holiday - said they had no knowledge of the State Council statement and "cannot give any information about the holiday arrangement". |
Of course they can't. It's not April 30th yet!  |
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Mister Al
Joined: 28 Jun 2004
Posts: 840
Location: In there
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| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Sat, Sun and Mon are the official days off. If you work those days then make sure you are adequately compensated. |
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platinum peyote
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Posts: 149
Location: Nanjing, near the bus stop
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| Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:23 am Post subject: |
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| Mister Al wrote: |
| Sat, Sun and Mon are the official days off. If you work those days then make sure you are adequately compensated. |
This is correct. Seems like a lot of holidays are falling on weekends, good news to some, grim to others. |
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bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| Even Guangdong announced officially in the paper this week that it was going to only give the national three days off. |
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Sugar Magnolia
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
Posts: 233
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:18 am Post subject: |
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May 1st is on Friday this year. If a week is not given, is this a 3 day holiday or just 1?
For example, if 3 days, perhaps schools will close Thursday, Friday and Monday, with Sat. Sun, normal days off.
If just 1 day, I assume it would be Friday the 1st and return to work on Monday. |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:45 am Post subject: |
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Saturday and Sunday are USUALLY considered normal WORKING days
To know what the holiday will be, ask your own place of business their plan |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:30 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, technically, it's a one-day holiday often located near a weekend giving many (but not all) a 3-day weekend: teachers, business people, high-ranking officials, etc. - - anyone that may normally not work on a Saturday. Tomb-sweeping holiday was only a one-day as well falling on Saturday (I believe) so that is why many of us have this Monday off as well. They "traded" Monday for Saturday as most of us already had Saturday off. But not all people get a full 3-day weekend. Banks are open today, for example, but were closed on Saturday so many bank employees had to work today.
If May 1st fell on a Thursday, then your school may well give you 1st, 2nd, and 3rd off but you'd have to work that Sunday, the 4th because they switched Friday for Sunday (instead of having you off on Thursday, back to work on Friday, then off for the weekend). |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| And the latest news is that the Central government (Beijing) has disallowed Guangdong to proceed with extending the May holiday as they planned. That's the word from Chinese friends that live and work there. |
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Humbug
Joined: 05 Jan 2009
Posts: 18
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| Our language school is only giving May 1st as a paid holiday. Is there any law that says they must give 3 days or are they free to make their own rules? |
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