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7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
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 Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 2:10 am Post subject: 1 January 2008 - Public holiday? No classes? |
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| One of my students told me last night that New Years day is a public holiday this year, meaning there are no classes. Anyone know about this? The school is silent on the topic. |
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nogreasyhippies
Joined: 10 Jul 2007
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 2:28 am Post subject: |
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| Not sure... but I know that my school is off on new years day as well. |
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Laoshi1950
Joined: 22 May 2004
Posts: 198
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 2:33 am Post subject: |
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At my public university in Beijing, there is a scheduled holiday on Tuesday, 1 January 2008.
This holiday was clearly marked on the university calendar which was given to us at the start of the semester, and it was subsequently confirmed by the University's International Affairs Office in a list of important dates given to the foreign teachers in September. |
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MGreen
Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 81
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 2:43 am Post subject: |
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| It's a holiday for my university as well, but we finish teaching in December anyway. |
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7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 2:57 am Post subject: |
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| no indication of it on our school calendar, and i know i didnt work last new years day, but it was one of my regular days off anyway so i didnt pay attention to that. looks like it will be a day off for most here. i'll assume i'm free as well and need to make alternate plans for those classes (my exam review begins the week of new years). |
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AussieGuyInChina
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 403
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 3:48 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| One of my students told me last night that New Years day is a public holiday this year |
January 1 has been an official public holiday in China for several years. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:13 am Post subject: |
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My school, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to give us Dec. 31st, Jan. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd off. Oh, but wait, that means we must work the weekend before AND after instead (which means 8 days in a row after)! I said "no thanks" and I feel a little cold coming on *cough! cough!* - - maybe a relapse the following weekend *sniff! sniff!*
(Why oh why could nobody think of, wait for it, the weekend before - - as we're ALREADY out of school, Dec. 31st, Jan 1st, then back to school on Wednesday to the following Saturday, Sunday off, then business as usual after that - - - oh wait, that's less complicated. Sorry Chinese school bureaucrats!)  |
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lostinasia
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:21 am Post subject: |
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| I'm a traditional American and actually believe in contracts. My contract is specific on such issues and states that I work, in my situation, Tuesday to Saturday, 5 days a week, not including weekends and is followed even in the event of national holidays. Weekends for my current job are defined as Sunday and Monday. I got fed up with the whole 8-14 continuous work period because of the whole make-up days concept. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 989
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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| Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:03 am Post subject: Caution |
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| AussieGuyInChina wrote: |
| Quote: |
| One of my students told me last night that New Years day is a public holiday this year |
January 1 has been an official public holiday in China for several years. |
Indeed...and so were the Golden Week May Day Holidays until as of recently in which a decision was reached by the powers-that-be that only May 1st will be observed in 2008.
To return to 7969's original query, it's a valid query and one that deserves more checking.
According to what has been published by the powers-that-be both in the press here and the press abroad, the Golden Week holiday has been reduced to one day, and two new holidays will be introduced : Mid-Autumn Festival Day as an official holiday and Dragon Boat Day.
I am going to ask the FAO about New Year's Day. |
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lostinasia
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 466
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| Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:11 am Post subject: |
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According to the draft plan, three traditional festivals -- Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon-Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival --shall become one-day national holidays.
New Year's Day remains a one-day holiday. The Spring Festival remains a three-day holiday, but it will start a day earlier from the eve of the Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year.
The National Day golden week will remain unchanged.
As a normal practice, the government moves the weekend days adjacent to a national holiday to form a longer holiday period.
The revised plan will increase the annual number of official national holidays from 10 to 11 days. |
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In the proposal issued in November, the government suggested paring down the weeklong Labor Day break in May to one day, and making new one-day official holidays out of three traditional celebrations: tomb-sweeping day in April, the mid-autumn festival, and the dragon boat festival, which falls in May or June.
The Communist government had previously eliminated those holidays in an attempt to break from what it considered China's feudal past.
The changes will not affect the Oct. 1 National Day or the Lunar New Year holidays, which, along with the May Day break, had been lengthened to full weeks by the government in 1999, in an attempt to encourage people to spend money. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:05 am Post subject: |
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So, explain it to me more clearly because I'm a bit dense. Are all these holidays going to be observed "naturally" (I mean, whatever date they fall on, there you go) or will they be nudged up beside a weekend (a Monday or a Friday) to give a 3-day weekend a la what we do in the US? Memorial Day is the last Monday in May regardless of the date. Labor Day is the first Monday in September, regardless of the date. However, Independence Day falls on July 4th (naturally) no matter which day that happens. However, if it lands on a Saturday or Sunday, then goverment workers and others get a Monday or Friday off. Technically, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are the only holidays during this festive time, but many people who have vacation time built up tend to take several days off (like Christmas Eve through New Year's Day or January 2nd).
If the Chinese holidays are more natural, then perhaps I'll get a Wednesday off or whatever and that's just fine with me. If they want to switch that Wednesday with a Monday or Friday to make a long weekend, that's okay with me too. But if they're going to screw with it like my post of New Year's Day above explains, then I'm NOT cool with that! |
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Songbird
Joined: 09 Jan 2005
Posts: 630
Location: State of Chaos, Panic & Disorder...
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:59 am Post subject: |
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Does anyone know the actual DATES for these 3 new festivals? I know Tomb Sweeping is sometime after SF, Dragon Boat Fest is about June and Mid Autumn late Sept/ early Oct....but....
And just to warn you all, the Government is also planning to get rid of the OCTOBER national week in 2009, no talk if any 1 day holidays again will replace this....(was also in China Daily) |
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jammish
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 1704
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:49 am Post subject: |
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| Um, we get the whole of January and February as a holiday anyway... |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:54 am Post subject: |
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| Is this the royal "we" or the "we" at your school or "we" meaning all foreign teachers? If it's the latter, then not true. "We" (at my school) get Jan. 25th to Feb. 20th off, which is actually about 5 days less than I've gotten the past 4 years I've celebrated the lovely Chinese New Year/Spring Festival holiday. |
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jammish
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 1704
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| kev7161 wrote: |
| Is this the royal "we" or the "we" at your school or "we" meaning all foreign teachers? If it's the latter, then not true. "We" (at my school) get Jan. 25th to Feb. 20th off, which is actually about 5 days less than I've gotten the past 4 years I've celebrated the lovely Chinese New Year/Spring Festival holiday. |
That's rotten. We FTs get all of jan and feb. The Chinese teachers finish in Mid January, after the exams are finished, and they also get til the end of Feb. |
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