Holiday Special: Stressed out? Time to relax

2013-04-28 11:08

By (chinadaily.com.cn)

In China, May 1 marks the Labor Day holiday, one of the country's seven major public holidays. One day off from work is given, along with a surrounding weekend. During the holiday, exhausted Chinese are liberated from their heavy daily work routines, and enjoy time off for travel or shopping, which in turn boosts the consumer market at home and abroad. Labor Day in China has developed into a holiday meant for relaxation and consumption, rather than serving as a time for strikes, which is usually the case in many countries elsewhere.

Chinese workers stressed out

Nearly eight out of 10 Chinese workers became more stressed in the past year, a new survey has found.

The survey by Regus, a global workplace-solutions provider, recently polled more than 16,000 workers in 80 countries.

Seventy-five percent of Chinese workers polled said that their stress levels had risen in the past year, according to the survey.

It found that 48 percent of workers globally felt growing pressure in the past year.

The smallest increases in stress worldwide were in Australia and the Netherlands, where just 38 percent and 40 percent of workers said they had experienced more stress.More

Chinese employees work 8.66h daily

Chinese employees work 8.66 hours daily on average and spend 0.96 in transit, according to a newly released survey.

The survey jointly conducted in 2012 by Beijing University and zhaopin.com, a top human resource company, covers more than 30,000 respondents and 28 cities.

The survey shows that on average Chinese workers spend 7.33 hours sleeping, 8.66 hours on work, 0.96 hours on the road and 7.05 hours on other activities.

It ranks the 15 cities with a significant number of respondents. Guangzhou tops the list in daily working time, with 9.02 hours. Hangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen follow with all above 8.5 hours. hours.More

Working hours per day in 15 Chinese cities

Woes haunting tourism industry

Tourist sites become pricey

A number of popular scenic spots on the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan have raised their ticket prices for the tourism season, which begins in spring. More

New charge to visit old city

Tourists visiting Fenghuang, a famous ancient town in Central China, are required to buy tickets from April 10, the local government has announced. More

Pollution hurting China's tourism

Environmental issues such as poor air quality and water pollution have turned away inbound tourists during the first quarter of the year. More

Drivers warned of May Day traffic rush

Traffic during the holiday is expected to increase by 15 to 20 percent compared to last year's holiday. More

Solutions

Tourism law adopted

China on April 25 adopted a law on tourism to protect the rights of tourists and clear the way for the industry's sustainable development.

It is the first law adopted by the 12th NPC Standing Committee, which convened its first meeting in March this year. More

Holiday toll-free policy

China have adopted a regulation which exempts passenger cars taking expressways from tolls during the Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, Labor Day and National Day holidays, starting Oct 2012. China's municipalities and most of its provinces have rolled out their own versions of the toll-free plan.More

Overseas travel favored

Chinese tourists prefer travel outside China over domestic travel for the upcoming May Day holiday, according to travel agencies.

Islands in Southeast Asia are still the most popular destinations, said Zhu Lei, head of the overseas sea island department at BTG International Travel and Tours. More

More Chinese travel overseas

More people from smaller Chinese cities are traveling abroad, new research released on April 24 showed.

Thanks to the country's rapid economic development, residents of second- and third-tier cities have plans and are able to go overseas for their holidays More

France promised safety for travel

French President Francois Hollande on Thursday said France welcomes all Chinese tourists and promised they will be safe

Hollande made the remarks while meeting President Xi in Hollande's first state visit to China. More

How will Chinese spend May Day holiday?

Sina Weibo users' answers to: "What's your plan for the May Day holiday?"

	YimingShen: On! Duty!		Mo Nv112: Go to suburbs.
	XXL-Xu: Strawberry music festival! Go!		Fengxiaoqiu87: I have to work.
	Dahuang: I will watch Europa League games and NBA play-off games at home, with snacks and beer. Haha.		Wudixiaobai Belva: Watch movies; go shopping; get much sleep.
	Smoke_Ballot: I want to do nothing except stay home and rest.		Sunuo1987: I'm going to visit my relatives. I'm likely to go sightseeing with them if both my mood and the weather are good.
	Pangzipangguo: I prefer a normal two-day weekend to a three-day holiday after working a seven-day week.		Tigoder: Stay home and speculate on the stock exchange market.
	Li Jungang: My colleagues and I have to be on duty during the holiday. Toilsome.		Li Xiaojun: I have to read a lot. I'm so envy those who can go back to their hometowns.
	Bugu Baby: I'm missing my family.		Hello Mr Bad: I'm gonna play PC games.
	Jia Jingzhong: I'm too lazy to go outdoors. I'm going to cross-stitch.		Mr Huoxiaozhai: I will go to two wedding ceremonies.

There are currently seven official public holidays in China. There was a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day Golden Week and adding three traditional Chinese holidays (Qingming Festival, Duanwu Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival). A notable feature of Chinese holidays is that weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a long vacation period.

New Year

Jan 1

3 days

New Year is the time at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count is incremented. In many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner. The New Year of the Gregorian calendar, today in worldwide use, falls on Jan 1 (New Year's Day), as was the case with the Roman calendar.

Chinese New Year

First day of first lunar month

7 days

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Qingming Festival

Fifth solar term (April 4 or April 5)

3 days

Qingming has a tradition stretching back more than 2,500 years. Its origin is credited to the Tang Emperor Xuanzong in 732. The festival is an opportunity for people to remember and honour their ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and libations to the ancestors. The rites have a long tradition in Asia, especially among farmers. Some people carry willow branches with them on Qingming, or put willow branches on their gates and/or front doors. They believe that willow branches help ward off the evil spirit that wanders on Qingming.

Labor Day

May 1

3 days

International Workers' Day (also known as May Day) is a celebration of the international labor movement. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries and celebrated unofficially in many other countries.

Dragon Boat Festival

Fifth day of fifth lunar month

3 days

Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwu Festival Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival and the Double Fifth, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies.

Mid-Autumn Festival

15th day of eighth lunar month

3 days

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and some other Asian people.The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, during a full moon.The festival was a time to enjoy the successful reaping of rice and wheat with food offerings made in honor of the moon. Today, it is still an occasion for outdoor reunions among friends and relatives to eat mooncakes and watch the moon, a symbol of harmony and unity.