Oct holidays should stay
The paid holiday system must be put in place before the week-long holiday in October is canceled, says an article in Procuratorial Daily. The following is an excerpt:
Professor Cai Jiming of Tsinghua University, an advocate of China's holiday reforms, told the media recently that the week-long holiday, the so-called Golden Week holiday, is not meant to be a long-term feature, and the National Day Golden Week holiday in October should be abandoned, when conditions so warrant.
As online surveys by major websites show, 80 percent of respondents oppose the cancelation of the Golden Week holiday in October and netizens accuse Professor Cai of "failing to keep abreast of public feelings".
In fact, a hot debate has already been sparked by the shortening of the seven-day-long May Day holiday to only three days, by the government early this year.
The public holds a different view toward the Golden Week holiday, and the voices against its cancellation are quite loud. Quite a number of people believe experts and relevant government departments are going against public opinion.
According to Professor Cai, the shortened May Day holiday is beneficial. It alleviates the pressure on the environment and traffic and the new holiday system also boosts traditional culture.
But the shortened three-day holiday has not gone down well with many people. "It is too short for a well-planned journey but too long for sleeping at home," is a common refrain.
Many say it does not look like a holiday.
For those who work outside their hometowns, a shorter May Day holiday means the loss of an opportunity to reunite with their families.
This is also one of the reasons for public opposition to the cancellation.
The paid holiday system has just started in China and has not been widely adopted by employers. Therefore, employees seldom dare to ask for a paid holiday and most fear losing the Golden-Week holiday.
Unless the paid holiday system is fully established, the public will not support the abolishing of the National Day week-long holiday.
(China Daily 09/17/2008 page8)
