Red-faced Guangdong authorities abandoned their plan to reinstate the May 1 'golden week' holiday yesterday after Beijing halted the beleaguered province's attempt to revive economic growth.
The province withdrew the Labour Day plan it had announced on Wednesday, and required all employers to stick to the central government's holiday schedule, according to an announcement on its website.
But it said employers or individuals who had already booked their journeys or desired a long vacation could arrange their holidays according to their circumstances.
'According to the [province's] regulation on annual leave, employers may still arrange a holiday for workers according to the companies' production and work schedules and workers' desires. Tourism authorities should ensure the public's demand for leisure and holiday is fulfilled.'
Guangdong authorities quietly posted the announcement last night - a time when most people were finishing their workdays and very few would pay attention to the change during the weekend.
The State Council stopped any special holiday arrangement without its permission on Thursday, the day after Guangdong had made its 'golden week' national holiday announcement. Leaders in the battered manufacturing heartland hoped that reinstating the holiday would encourage people to spend and help ignite economic activity.