著名经济学家吴敬琏教授日前又发表惊人宏论：中国目前还很贫穷，放假不宜太多。曾因替小股民说话而备受关注的著名经济学家吴敬琏，因一连串“反对声音”——反对春运票价不涨价、城市征地不应按市价补偿、取消利息税—— 成了争议的靶子，有网站还推出“争议吴敬琏”的专题。

Wu Jinglian, a famous economist and a political advisor, is surrounded by reporters at the ongong NPC and CPPCC session in Beijing March 4, 2007. [Xinhua]

With a vast majority of Chinese upholding more public holidays, Wu Jinglian, a famous economist and a political advisor, said that China is still a developing country and should not have too many holidays.

"As a member of the public, I also hope there are more holidays, but too many holidays are not good in light of the entire nation," Wu, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks on the sidelines of the ongoing annual CPPCC session.

Wu said China has enough holidays at present and more researches should focus on whether more holidays areconduciveto raising consumption.

A number of political advisors have proposed that more traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Dragon Boat Festival and Tomb Sweeping Day, on which people pay respect to ancestors, should be made public holidays in a bid to raise people's awareness of traditions.

At present, China has three week-long holidays each year - the International Labor's Day holiday, the National Day holiday and the Spring Festival holiday. The last is the only holiday that ties in with China's traditional customs.

Many festivals, considered important days on China's lunar calendar, such as Lunar New Year's Eve and Mid-Autumn Day, are not public holidays, and relevant folk customs are not well observed, especially in cities, as people have to work.

A survey on Sina.com revealed that over 98 percent of netizens expected Lunar New Year's Eve to become an official public holiday.

（Xin Hua） 

Vocabulary:    

conducive: 对……有利

（英语点津陈蓓编辑）