Guangdong resumes week-long May Day holiday

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-25 20:56

GUANGZHOU - China's southern Guangdong province will resume the week-long May Day holiday this year in a bid to revive the economy, local officials said Wednesday.

In 2007, China cut the May Day holiday from seven to three days to ease overcrowded travel.

The holiday in Guangdong will fall on May 1-7. Two days will be paid leave and local residents will have to work over the weekend of May 9-10.

Guangdong is the country's first province to resume the week-long holiday.

Liu Xiaojie, deputy secretary-general of the provincial government, said the move would help encourage travel and spur domestic demand.

The local economy in export-oriented Guangdong has been hit hard by reduced global demand for its goods.

Other cities and provinces like Chongqing, Hunan, Henan and Hangzhou also were considering resuming the week-long holiday.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has submitted proposals to the State Council to extend the May Day holiday, China Daily cited Han Yongwen, the NDRC's secretary-general, as saying.

Han told a conference here Wednesday that the top economic planning agency has proposed adding two days to the holiday in annual paid leave.

As high as 92 percent of 139,445 netizens polled by Internet portal Sina.com as of 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, supported resuming the golden week, though some were worried about crowded traveling.