BEIJING — Jiang Xing Jun hates holidays here. Rather than providing relaxation, China’s three national vacation weeks — one observed in winter, one in spring and one in fall — are often more like hell on wheels, with jam-packed planes, trains and automobiles gone berserk, he says.
On cue, hundreds of millions of workers embark on mass pilgrimages to hometowns often thousands of miles away. These “golden weeks” are like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and the Fourth of July rolled into one.
“The problem is that everyone goes at once,” says Jiang, a 41-year-old medical equipment supplier. “It’s impossible to get a ticket. And even if you do, it’s way too crowded. It’s crazy.”
Now authorities are poised to offer its workforce a new Western-style free-time option: the long weekend.
The plan would give Chinese citizens several paid one-day holidays throughout the year, offering them the freedom of deciding when to travel.
The number of public holidays would increase to 11 from 10. The plan, which still must be approved by the central government, also would make it compulsory for companies to offer workers paid leave after one year.
